Next Danganronpa 4: Tomorrow's Despair
by mikxyy
Summary: A new killing game is about to begin, as Ultimate Barista, Kei Kamiya, is about to discover. Trapped in a castle at the peak of a snowy mountain, Kei and his fellow Ultimate students are forced to participate in Monokuma's new Life of Mutual Killing. The Class Trials are approaching, and only one thing is guaranteed in Monokuma's new world: not everyone will make it out alive.
1. Prologue: Welcome to Despair Castle

The cable car jolts a little and I tighten my gloved hands around the armrest beside me. I'm all alone here, in a big box hanging above the empty white valley. Its practically impossible to make out any details from this high up. Except the mountain peak. And the castle.

Dark and foreboding against the side of the cliff, its the only real shape to be seen amongst the emptiness. Even from here, I can make out tiny pinpricks of light in its windows, just visible through the mist that hangs thick and low over the valley.

Before I go any further, let me introduce myself! I'm Kei. Kei Kamiya! I'm from Odaiba, originally, though if I'm honest, I couldn't even guess what region this mountain range is in. That might sound kinda weird, but I'll explain!

A few weeks ago I got an invitation in the mail, from none other than the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy! Hope's Peak is a pretty big deal, because it's a school like no other – it exclusively scouts its students based on their own unique talents, and then invites them to the school to really develop their talents for use in the future! Enrollment at Hope's Peak pretty much guarantees you total success in life with whatever field you wanna go in to! In fact, a lot of people in pretty high up positions across the world are former students of Hope's Peak Academy.

So you could imagine my confusion when the letter went on to inform me that I wouldn't just be attending Hope's Peak Academy, I would actually be one of a hundred or so students being admitted to the brand new Second Branch of the Academy.

I'd heard rumours that Hope's Peak had been planning on doing this for years – apparently an overseas branch was due for construction in a few months time – but I was pretty surprised to learn that a second branch already existed!

The letter went on to describe what an exciting opportunity this would be for me, and basically that if I accepted a place I would have travel arrangements made for me to be taken to the Second Branch. The letter didn't even say where exactly the place was!

Reading on, the letter finished off with: ' _As a result of this, we invite you to attend our school as a person possessing the title of 'Ultimate Barista'._ '

So, yup, that's me! Kei Kamiya: Ultimate Barista.

There's not much to say about my talent, really. My mom owns a cafe that used to belong to my dad before he died. I work there after school every day, and over the years I've clocked a hell of a lot of hours serving drinks and getting to know customers and stuff. It's a pretty tough job sometimes, but I enjoy it!

Um, I better describe myself, I guess. I'm kinda tall and lanky, with sorta brick-red coloured hair, and dark blue eyes. I've got four piercings through each ear, and I have a small birthmark under my right eye. And, uh, that's about it!

When I got the invite from Hope's Peak I was a little tempted just to turn it down. I didn't like the thought of my mom having to deal with too much, but she insisted that I made the most of the opportunity. She's managed to hire a couple of extra staff, too, so I don't need to worry about her overworking or anything.

As the cable car neared the end of its journey, I thought of my mom, and wondered how long exactly it'd be til I'd see her again. It'd probably be a couple months til we got any sort of proper time off, but I'd promised I'd call home at least once a week for as long as I was away.

With a final jolt, the cable car comes to the end of the line and the automatic doors slide open. I get to my feet, hitch my rucksack over my shoulder and take the handle of my suitcase, lifting it over the small gap between the cable car and the platform on the other side.

Its a kind of plain room, very silver and grey. The railed metal platform is in a L-shape, exposed to the elements, and I watch as the cable car doors slide shut and it starts to shift away, following the L-shaped formation of the platform before turning and disappearing away. I try to ignore the weird feeling in my stomach – not butterflies, more like bees or something...

Alone on the platform, I briefly consider just waiting here for someone else to show up, but I've made the journey here myself so far, so I may as well finish it. Plus, it'd be just my luck to be the last person to arrive.

I take a second to adjust my suitcase so that its on its wheels now, and I turn towards the door. My boots clank against the metal walkway, but a moment later I'm through the door and I'm on a small plateau – maybe only 20 feet or so wide. The plateau is completely surrounded by trees at both sides, stretching out for as far as I can see and lining all the way from the cable car stop to the edge of an enormous stone archway. Under the archway is a huge iron-wrought black gate. Three guesses where that'll lead me.

The snow appears to have been shoveled away, and stones rattle and crunch under the wheels of my suitcase as I make my way across the plateau. Despite the snow, I can just about make out little details beyond the far side of the gate – the castle is all lit up from within, with waxy yellow light piercing through the mist.

I look up at the castle in awe, I'm not gonna lie. Up close, even shrouded in the cold mountain mist, its pretty breath-taking. Cloisters and walkways and some individual towers jut out all across the outside of the building, and I can just make out some froze-over wooden bridges connecting the main castle to the small separate tower buildings. But after five or six floors, the rest of the castle seems to just disappear into whiteness.

I make my way across the small plateau now, not taking my eyes off the castle on the far side of the gate the entire time. I'm pretty stunned, like reality's sinking in that I'm really here at this amazing place! It's like something out of a dream, really! My whole life's never gonna be the same as soon as I step through that gate, I think.

Sometimes I fucking hate being right.

With a gloved hand – trembling partly from nerves, partly from the cold – I reach out for the handle of the left hand gate.

And then I black out.

There's really no better way to describe it, I wish I could. One second, I'm feeling the cold metal through my glove, and the next... nothing.

In a strange way, I remember being unconscious. It's like I'm dreaming, but I'm trapped in a picture. Nothing around me is moving. And it's dark. So, so dark. Just me, alone, suspended in a single moment.

And then I open my eyes.

* * *

I'm face down on a cold stone floor. It's dusty and I cough as I roll over onto my back. My eyes take a second to adjust, but then I see I'm staring up into a high-vaulted ceiling. Grey and gloomy – curved angles disappearing into shadow.

I just want to sleep, really. That's my initial thought. I'm cold and uncomfortable and it'd be so easy just to fall back asleep again. But that doesn't last long, as a sudden dull thud, and the sound of an echoing footstep snap me out of my daze, and I sit bolt upright in a panic.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's alright, it's alright!"

There's a guy in the doorway, probably about my age – maybe a little younger, actually. He's holding his hands up in that kind of placating defensive way, and he flashes me a kind of awkward smile as I push myself up onto my feet.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"My name's Arata. Arata Summerfield – I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student. You're an Ultimate too, right?"

I eye him warily. He's short and kind of pale-skinned, with shaggy-looking dark purple hair and eyes that look black in the gloom. He's wearing a teal jacket over a dark red T-shirt, and khaki trousers. A small four-leaf clover charm hangs from a loop of thread around his neck, that catches in the light. I realise I haven't answered him and finally reply.

"Um, yeah. I'm Kei. Look, where are we?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, that'd be the question," he frowns. "I'm not so sure of that yet myself. At a guess, I'd say we're in the castle."

"The castle..."

"You don't remember?" he asks. "Don't you remember coming to the castle?"

"I... think so," I reply. "My head's a little fuzzy."

"It'll pass soon, don't worry," the boy – Arata – says, with a sympathetic nod. "I only woke up like twenty minutes ago. Oh, wait a sec."

He turns to face back out the door and calls, "Hey, Mitsu, are you there? I found someone else!"

A distant voice calls back, "Coming!" and a moment later, a girl appears in the doorway. She eyes me kind of intensely. "You're an Ultimate too, right?"

There's something about the way she says it that kind of makes me want to spill my guts and tell her my entire life story, but I manage a way shorter, "Uh, yeah, I'm Kei Kamiya – I'm the Ultimate Barista."

"Hm, that's good to know."

With a firm nod, she reaches into a brown leather satchel at her side and produces a notebook and a pen. She starts scribbling down something, and without looking up she says, "I'm Mitsu Kamori. I'm the Ultimate Journalist."

She's about Arata's height - maybe just a little shorter - with shoulder-length blonde hair, dyed green at the ends. She's wearing a yellow cardigan over her white school blouse. She has a fairly big looking leather satchel strung over her shoulder.

"Oh, right," I say, dumbly. "Do you have... any idea what the hell's going on here?"

"I'm afraid I'm as in the dark as you and Arata here," she says with a shake of her head. "It's a work in progress. We both woke up in adjoining classrooms on the far side of this floor. We've been trying to find out what's going on, but we haven't been able to find anyone else yet. So, before we go any further, do you know how you got here?"

I can feel the wheels turning in my head as I try to piece it all together again. There's still that weird hazy feeling and it takes me a few seconds for my brain to catch up with itself.

"I got picked up from the airport," I said, "and that took like an hour's drive to the start of the mountain range. And then there was the cable car, and then... then I was just outside the castle when... everything just kind of went black."

"Same as us then, huh?" Arata says to Mitsu. She's still scribbling down in her notebook. She briefly looks up at me as she flips over to start a new page.

"And you don't remember anything else?" she asks. "You haven't seen anyone else?"

"I literally just woke up," I say, shaking my head. "He came in like a second after I woke up." I nod at Arata, who bobs his head in confirmation. Mitsu seems satisfied with this answer, and then claps her notebook shut and slides it back into her satchel.

"That'd make sense going by the dust on the floor. If you'd moved anywhere there'd be more marks."

I look down to see she's right. There's a sort of Kei-shaped impression on the floor in the position I was lying, with the bottom half a little more messed up from me getting to my feet. I'm kind of worryingly reminded of those chalk outlines you see at crime scenes in cop shows. And then I'm just reminded my front is all covered in dust. I take a second to bat some of it off me, sending up small puffs of dust. It's only then I realise that I'm no longer wearing my outdoor jacket or my gloves. I still have all my other clothes on, but my outside stuff has disappeared.

Mitsu seems to notice my confusion. "We haven't found our stuff either," she sighs. "I'm trying not to let this freak me out but it's getting harder by the minute. Do you think you can walk?"

"Um, yeah, I guess so," I say. "Why?"

"Well, it's either that or you can stay in here by yourself."

"Oh, um, fair enough," I agree, and I go to make my way over towards them. Arata holds the door open for me, but before I can step through, something in the corner of the ceiling catches my eye.

"Wait, is that a security camera?"

It's kind of bulky and roughly designed, like it's been melded together out of scrap metal. It sits on what looks like an extendable arm-like device. A small red light on its side pulses at us. I can just make out the lens within the camera shifting to adjust focus on us as we gaze up at it.

"Weird, isn't it?" Mitsu nods. "I mean I figured a place like this would have pretty intense security, but there's cameras like that in every room I've seen so far. There's monitors out in the hallway too."

"Got to say it's a pretty new experience for me," Arata says, sheepishly. "I'm from the middle of nowhere – people in my town are still trying to wrap their heads around wi-fi."

"Hm."

Unsure of what else to say, I pass through the doorway, following Mitsu out into a long, gloomy hallway.

The floor is stone out here too, but long, dark green rugs have been laid out, muffling our footsteps as we walk across it. I can make out another camera just a little further down the corridor, already facing us. The walls are kind of sandstone-looking, covered in paintings and tapestries and all sorts of stuff. There are suits of armour and small display tables and bookshelves lining the walls in both directions as far as I can see, and at regular intervals there are large, arch-shaped wooden doors, all with elaborately carved panels and silver doorhandles that glint with the light coming from the torch brackets slightly higher up the walls.

It takes me a couple of seconds to process that the flames in the brackets are burning green. There's something pretty about that, even if they are casting a kind of weird toxic glow over the corridor.

"Creepy stuff, isn't it?" Arata says, quietly. "I feel like I've stepped into a horror movie."

"It's like this in pretty much every other hallway," Mitsu adds. "Some of the rooms I've looked into are the same, but a few have electrical lights instead."

"This is..." I stammer. I can't find the words.

"I know," Arata agrees. "Super weird."

"Words are my thing and even I don't know how to describe it," Mitsu says. "It just feels... wrong. Everything about this."

I find myself nodding in agreement again. I take a second to think before I speak.

"So you want to keep searching for others?" I ask. Mitsu nods.

"Hopefully it'll take us even less time now there's one more of us," she says. "We're trying to find a way downstairs too. The staircase that the main landing leads on to is gated off in both directions, so we're stuck on the First Floor for now."

The three of us exchange uneasy glances as her words sink in. I find myself dragging my hands down my face as I try to process what the hell's going on.

"We're trapped?"

"For lack of a better word, yeah," Mitsu grimaces. Arata puts his hands in the pockets of his teal jacket and lets out a long sigh.

"This isn't getting any easier, huh?"

"Look, this isn't getting things done any quicker," Mitsu says. "How about we just keep searching for now and see where it gets us?"

"Um, I guess so," Arata shrugs. They look at me, kind of expectantly.

"I... I guess it's better than doing nothing," I sigh. "Where have you guys searched already?"

Mitsu turns and points down the far end of the corridor. "So far we've checked each of the rooms along that way. There's a door around the corridor bend that leads onto the First Floor landing, and that leads onto the staircase and some of the other hallways."

"I can come with you to look over the far end if you like?" Arata suggests.

"Um, yeah, sure," I nod, though my head's still kind of racing and I feel like I'm still trying to properly wake up.

"Okay, I'll finish over this side and then come find you both," Mitsu says. She gives us both a small nod. "Yell if you find anything."

"Will do."

And with that, we part ways.

* * *

Arata leads me down the corridor, and once we reach the bend, we turn left. At the end of this stretch of corridor there's another wooden door, larger than the rest of the ones we've passed. This one's also lying ajar. As we approach, Arata gestures at a classroom door to our left.

"I woke up in that one," he says. "Mitsu was in... that one." He points at a door a little further up.

"It seems kind of random," I frown. "Three of us on the one floor, but nobody else?"

"Nobody else _yet_ ," Arata corrects me. He brushes a long strand of hair out of his face. "It can't just be us. And if Mitsu's right about us being stuck on this floor, wouldn't it seem pretty likely that the others are too?"

"I don't know if I see your logic, if I'm honest," I admit. "What about any of this has made sense so far?"

Arata shrugs. "Just call it intuition then, I guess." He gives me a kind of crooked smile, and I find myself smiling a little back at him.

We pass through the larger open door and into the main First Floor landing. It's a pretty large room, with the same sort of decoration scheme as the corridor we've just come from. The fires burning in the brackets are a normal colour now though, which seems to take a slight edge off the knot of anxiety I can feel crushing my ribcage.

There are plush-looking green couches assembled around long, low wooden tables, and bookcases line the walls. Once again, there's a camera in the corner of the room, facing us, and I can just make out a monitor of the same kind of beat up design as the camera just at the far end of the room.

A few study desks are slotted in at the sides of the bookcases in alcoves, each with a matching high-backed wooden chair.

"There's the door to the staircase, I think," Arata says, crossing the room and turning the handle. "Mitsu came out this way to check when I was checking the first few rooms in the corridor back there, so I haven't actually seen this gate she's talking about. Wanna come check?"

"I guess so," I sigh, and follow him out the door.

We're on a large white square marble of balcony. The balcony connects onto identical staircases, one flight going below us and another leading upwards. But as Mitsu already told us, there are large gates blocking our path. Tall, thin bars seem to extend from floor to ceiling, like a portcullis, disappearing through the floor below, and through the floor of a balcony above our heads. Looking up, and doing some quick counting, I can make out that the staircases extend to about ten floors above us.

"It looks like there's more of these weird gates at every balcony," Arata murmurs, his voice still echoing slightly in the cavernous staircase hall.

"I've never seen anything like it," I reply. I gaze up for a moment or two longer before I shake my head. "Come on, let's see if we can find anything useful."

Before we can even get back through the doorway, a door at the far end of the First Floor landing is flung open, and three figures emerge.

"Wh-who are you two?!" cries one of them. It's difficult to make out their faces because the way they're standing behind the door is hiding them in shadow.

Arata is quick to step forward and raise his hands in the same placating way he did with me before.

"Hey, hey, don't worry, we're all in the same boat," he says. "I'm Arata, and this is Kei. You guys just woke up, right?"

"More or less," sighs one of the small group, and steps out of the shadow of the doorway. "Arata, and Kei, right? My name's Kaori. Kaori Yoshida. This is Ino Watabe, and... sorry, what did you say your name was again?" She's directed this at one of the people behind her, cowering in the doorframe.

"D-Daisuke. I'm Daisuke Mizumaki."

"Nice to meet you guys," Arata beams. "You're Ultimates too, right?"

Kaori raises her eyebrows. "Um, well, yeah. I'm the Ultimate Electrician." She's tall and slim-built, with an elfin face, and cat-like green eyes. She's dressed in what looks like blue mechanic overalls, only zipped half-way up, showing a pink T-shirt underneath. Her hair is long and brown, with her bangs held back with a bunch of pink hair clips.

The girl at her side fires Arata and I a look of distrust. "I'm the Ultimate Architect," she says, simply. This girl's probably about the same height as me - with a round, serious face, and piercing green eyes. She has bushy pink brows and long pink hair, tied up in a ponytail with a red sash that matches the red ribbon and pinafore she wears over a grey shirt.

"And this cute kid here," Kaori says, gesturing to the boy still hiding in the doorway, "is the Ultimate Florist."

Daisuke's a sweet-looking kid, with tufty blonde hair, and blue eyes. He's wearing an oversized blue jumper with some stitched leaf design on both of his sleeves, over his school shirt and tie. He manages a sort of weak attempt at a smile, though he still looks scared out of his wits. _I wish I had the brain capacity to be scared right now_ , I think to myself.

"And what about you two, huh?" Ino asks, sharply, crossing her arms.

"I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student," Arata replies, still managing to smile at her, "and Kei here is the Ultimate Barista."

"Weird talents, if you ask me," Ino mutters. Kaori rolls her eyes at her.

"Don't mind her," she says. "As soon as she saw me in the corridor she tried to hit me with her shoe."

Arata raises an eyebrow. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because I thought she might have been the one who brought me here!" Ino snaps, defensively. "And who's to say you're all even telling the truth about who you are anyway?"

"Looks like we just have to believe each other, huh?" I reply. I get a glare from her in response.

"So, anyway, is it just the three of you? Or have you found any others?" Arata asks.

"Just us," Kaori says with a shake of her head. "How about you two?"

"Yeah, there's a girl just through there looking about for others," I say. "Her name's Mitsu."

"She's the Ultimate Journalist," Arata adds, helpfully.

"Hm, good to know. So that makes six of us so far, right?" Kaori nods. She rubs her chin and looks deep in thought for a moment. "So how many d'you think we're still looking for?"

"Anybody's guess, really," Arata shrugs. "Only six of us in a place this size seems pretty unlikely though, right?"

"And it's definitely Hope's Peak Second Branch?" Daisuke asks from behind Kaori, quietly.

"We've been over this," Ino snaps at him. "It's definitely the same building. I remember looking at the blueprints."

"Woah, you can tell just from the few rooms you've been in?" Arata asks.

"Well, I'm not the Ultimate Architect for nothing," Ino retorts, rolling her eyes.

"I wasn't being rude," Arata sighs, "I was just genuinely impressed. Plus, that kind of answers one of the questions we were still trying to work out."

"Have you guys worked out anything else yet then?" Kaori asks. She slides her hands through the belt loops of her blue jumpsuit and looks at us both, expectantly.

"Only that we're confined to this floor so far, it'd seem," I sigh. "Check it out."

I step away from the doorway out to the main staircase, and Kaori, Ino, and Daisuke shift past us to look. A moment later, they file back in, looking decidedly paler.

"Shit," Kaori breathes.

"Yup," I agree.

"Well, what the hell do we do now?" Ino asks.

"You're the Ultimate Architect," Arata points out. "Can you remember any other sort of ways to get to another floor besides the main staircase?"

A vein throbs in Ino's forehead, and I find myself taking a small step back from her. Arata seems to realise she's probably a little too... volatile and makes a hasty retreat too, making sure to step around to the other side of one of the couches in the centre of the room.

"What d'you think, Ino?" Kaori asks. "Anything?"

The small nuclear explosion going on in Ino's brain seems to die down, and she lets out a long, deep breath before replying.

"No," she says, finally. "Only way up or down is that staircase from what I recall of the blueprints."

"Okay, that's two questions answered then," Arata says, putting his hands on his hips. "Do you wanna wait here while I go find Mitsu, Kei?"

"No need!"

We all turn to see Mitsu emerge from the corridor Arata and I had come through from, and she isn't alone. One by one, four other people appear behind her.

"I found these guys down the far end of that corridor. There were a couple of reading rooms and an annex that seems to lead out to one of the towers," Mitsu explains. "I see you two found some people too!"

"Oh, yeah," I nod, and we take turns introducing one another yet again. Mitsu introduces Miniro Shirane, the Ultimate Sailor. Miniro gives a salute and informs us all, "It is a pleasure to be acquainted with each of you!"

He's a muscular guy, built like the side of a house, as my mom would say. His skin is tanned, besides a few long scars under his startling red eyes and along the side of his face. He has kind of messy, spiky brown hair, with the side shaved in an undercut, showing several large gold rings pierced through the top of his ear. He's wearing a pretty formal-looking blue blazer over his uniform, with brass buttons polished to perfection.

Then she goes on to introduce Yuki Tadeshi, the Ultimate Hairdresser. Yuki goes out of her way to go round the room and hug each of us, with a huge grin on her face the entire time. She seems pretty cheerful, despite the situation, and she bounces on the soles of her feet, hyperactively once she's done with her introductions. I make a mental note to remember only to serve her decaff if it comes to it.

She's pretty cute - her skin is a warm brown colour, which goes perfectly with her mane of wild orange hair. She's kind of small and delicate-looking, but she has cute round cheeks, and a huge goofy grin. Like a few of the others, she isn't going for any attempt at a school uniform, instead opting for a baggy, long-sleeved lilac top and a grey skirt.

Next is Ayaka Suzuki, the Ultimate Vet. She has a pretty serious look on her face, but she gives a respectful nod as she's introduced to each of us. Besides that, she doesn't seem to have much to say to any of us. She has golden-brown skin, and long purple and blue hair, tied in two braids - I notice the blue of her hair matches her eyes. She's wearing a white coat with a paw-print motif on the sleeve over her uniform.

And lastly, there was Yamato Nagai, the Ultimate Herpetologist. He's dark-skinned and grave-looking, with sharp yellow eyes and a thin face. His hair is messy, and a pretty cool turquoise colour! He's wearing a bright green hoodie over his school shirt. His tie is slack, and his top few buttons are undone, showing a grey T-shirt underneath. Despite his kind of intimidating appearance, he was actually really polite and went out of his way to make sure he got everyone's name right.

And with us all acquainted, Mitsu was quick to get everyone up to speed on the situation.

"So, there's ten of us now – that'll cut the time down even more. We can fan out across the rest of the First Floor and see if we can find anyone else. It seems like we're probably closer to the end of our search than the beginning though. There's still a few towers on the far end of that corridor I'd like to check," she says. There are a few murmurs of agreement.

"Someone should wait here though, right?" Yuki suggests, waving a hand in the air. "I mean, I wanna explore, but shouldn't someone wait like just in case some other people turn up? You said this was the main landing, right?"

"That's a fair point," Yamato agrees. "All the corridors of this floor must lead here, one way or another."

"All roads lead to Rome," Mitsu nods. "Okay, good plan. Who wants to wait?"

"I-I don't mind waiting," Daisuke murmurs, raising a hand. "I'd rather stay in the one place for now if that's okay with everyone else."

"Fine with me," Kaori shrugs.

"Go for it," Ino agrees.

"Oh, but shouldn't someone else wait too?" Arata frowns.

"I can stay too," Miniro nods. "I don't mind waiting here with... Daisuke, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah," Daisuke murmurs, his face going a little pink, like he's embarrassed or something.

"Well, that'll do then," Mitsu says. "I'll be going back this way."

"And once our search is done, we can all just meet back here," Ayaka nods. She slides her hands into the pockets of her white coat. "I'll come along with you, Mitsu."

So we end up splitting up from there, separating into four smaller groups and each taking a separate corridor. Arata and I were joined by Yuki and Yamato, and we took the bend at the back of the landing.

There are a few reading rooms leading off of this stretch of floor, and another larger door at the end that leads onto another eerie green-lit corridor, identical to the one we'd already been along.

"So, what do you guys think is happening, huh?" Yuki asks us. Yamato raises his eyebrows.

"I'm not really sure I have enough of a clue to guess, to be honest," he says. "How about you two?"

"We're all in the same boat," Arata shrugs. "I can't see why we'd be stuck in here by ourselves though."

"Yeah, I've got no clue," I sigh. "Seems all we're doing is assembling a class though."

"Hey, d'you think that's it?" Yuki asks. "D'you think we're just one class?"

"I... guess that could be true," Arata nods, rubbing the back of his neck like he had earlier. "We should ask the o-"

"Hello? Is there someone there?"

A girl's voice calls out from ahead of us, and we all spin round to see someone approaching us from further ahead. Someone I recognised straight away. And I wasn't the only one.

"No way!"

"You?"

The girl looked a little taken aback. "Oh, um, hello there, I'm Blessing Ayoeda."

"And you're the Ultimate Actress, right?" Yuki asks.

The girl – Blessing Ayoeda – looks a little surprised.

"Oh, um, well, yes, I am!"

Even amongst Ultimates, Blessing was on a league of her own. She was pretty much the biggest name in the movie business right now. She'd started off as a bit-part, playing the daughter of a protagonist in some detective show, but it didn't take long before she was getting bigger roles, even fronting a pretty big movie trilogy adapted from a series of YA books. But even besides that, she was super big on charity work and stuff too, even taking part in a massive sports event for charity across South Africa that started and finished in her hometown of Maputo in Mozambique.

"Are... you okay?" she asks me, wide-eyed. "You look a little dazed."

"S-sorry, little starstruck," I admit, suddenly thankful for the eerie green light as it hid my sudden blush. She's pretty beautiful, and it seems unreal to be in the same room as her. She's got long, curls of black hair that looks purple as the light hits it, framing her face. She's pretty much adhering to the uniform - wearing a dark red cardigan, white blouse, and grey skirt. There's a blue symbol on the sleeve of her jumper but I can't quite make out what it is.

Arata quickly takes charge of the introductions, and catches Blessing up on what's happened so far. She nods her understanding.

"It is lovely to meet you all," she says, "despite the circumstances. I'll help you all in your search!"

As it happens, our search doesn't last much longer as a long, deep toll of a bell rings out through the corridor. We throw our hands to our ears to try and drown out the dull booming, but after a few more moments the tolling stops.

Before we can even react, there's an electronic burble and a voice rings out through an unseen intercom.

" _Hey, hey, hey, hey! You're all finally here!_ "

Out of everything I've experienced so far in this castle, the voice seems the most... wrong. It's like a cartoon character is talking to us, and something about it sends a chill up my spine.

" _Okay, the hide and seek segment's all over and done with, so I'm unlocking the gate on the Staircase. Get your thumbs out your butts and get down to the Entrance Hall for a special assembly!_ "

With a weird giggle, the intercom burbles and cuts off, and the five of us exchange looks.

"What the fuck..." Yamato mutters.

"I second that," I nod.

"That voice said the gate was gonna be unlocked though, right?" Arata says. "We should go check. The others are probably heading back too."

"Can't argue with that," Yuki shrugs and pelts away, her sandals slapping against her feet as she bounds towards the main landing.

We follow after her, a little warily, and return to the main landing pretty much just as the others return from the other corridors. I notice we weren't the only group that had found someone else, as a few other students followed the others out of the doorways.

We all sort of awkwardly look at each other, one by one. There's almost something funny about it in a way. There's sixteen of us now – jeez.

"Okay, quick introductions," Arata says, with a slightly exasperated smile. He quickly introduces Blessing to the others and waits for a response.

"Masashi Uno, the Ultimate Chessmaster." He's a broad-shouldered, tall guy, with a pale face and a seemingly fixed scowl, with an intense look in his purple eyes to go with it. His hair is ashy-blonde, and tied in a small ponytail at the back. He's wearing a long grey overcoat with gold buttons over the top of his uniform. There's an interesting looking ring on his finger too, but I'm not close enough to make out anything significant about it.

"I am Kimi Valentin, the Ultimate Beautician. A pleasure!" Kimi is a name I vaguely recall hearing once or twice on TV before. Her story is similar to Blessing's in a way, having started off as a make-up artist on small-time gigs before moving up to doing professional work for movie stars and big time celebrities. She's tall and pretty imposing, with what I could only describe as flawless make-up. She's kind of like a porcelain doll, with big eyelashes and an expertly sculpted face. She's wearing a red and black sailor style uniform, with a large black sash over her chest. Despite her announcing it was "a pleasure", her expression says otherwise. She sort of gives the impression that it's a pleasure for _us_ to meet _her_.

"Hey, hey! I'm Cho Saiki – only the Ultimate Blackbelt in the _world_! Hehe, pretty impressive, right?" This girl is smaller - probably closer to Arata's height - with long, straggly green hair and pale, almost white, skin. She has bright yellow eyes, both with small scars running down underneath them, and she's dressed in what looks like a proper karate uniform, with an actual blackbelt around her waist.

"Oh, um, I'm Fumio. Fumio Nomura. I'm the Ultimate Chemist! It's nice to meet you all!" Fumio's a kind of weak-looking kid, with a sickly grey look to his sunken face, and strange dark blotches on his neck, just visible over the collar of his shirt. He has short cropped brown hair held back by a pair of goggles. His eyes are black, with dark circles around them. He's wearing a red blazer, and instead of the red school tie, he's wearing a black one with a blue arrow motif on it.

The last guy seems fairly disinterested. He's about my height, with wild rusty red hair and kind of intense orange eyes. He's wearing a red jumper and a shirt, with a khaki jacket over the top of it. After a few expectant looks from across the room, he sighs and finally greets us.

"Haru Takezaki. I don't know my talent."

"Wait, what?" Ino cries in disbelief. "You're at Hope's Peak and you don't even know your talent?"

Haru shrugs. "'Fraid not. What's it to you, anyway?"

"Okay, okay, I think we can ignore that little problem for now," I say. "Has anyone checked the gate on the stairs yet?"

"I did," Miniro replies with a nod. "As soon as Daisuke and I heard the announcement over the intercom I checked round the door. The gate leading upward is still there, but the bars have lifted that were preventing us from getting downstairs."

"Well, getting upstairs isn't really a priority anyway," Mitsu says. "Seems like the answers we're looking for are downstairs. It's up to you all what you want to do, but I want to know what's going on, so I'll see you down there."

And with that, she opens the door out to the staircase and disappears out of sight. For a moment, nobody moves, but then Masashi shrugs and trudges out after her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his grey trenchcoat. A moment later, Haru follows after them, breezily, and bit-by-bit, the room empties.

The uneasiness is holding me back, and I find myself one of the last ones out, filing out the door behind Miniro, who has a large hand placed comfortingly on Daisuke's shoulder. Daisuke looks a little tense, but decidedly less panicked than he had been a little earlier.

Arata's waiting out on the staircase for me.

"You okay?" he asks, as we fall into line behind the others. "You looked a little weird for a sec there."

"I'm not sure," I admit, glancing upwards at the cavernous ceiling above us. Like in the classroom I'd woke up in, the ceiling was high-vaulted and dark, but I could just make out the tiny red dots of the security cameras like the eyes of some nightmarish monster.

Hindsight's a bitch sometimes, eh?

Arata gives me a sympathetic look. "I'm sure things'll be alright, Kei."

"I hope so," I reply, as we near the bottom of the staircase. The ground floor here was fairly bare, with no decoration at the base of the staircase besides a damaged looking marble plinth.

There was a door in the centre of the wall the others were stepping through, and Arata and I followed after them. Almost as soon as we're through the door, it swings shut behind us like it has a life of its own and clicks shut. There's another faint clunk, like a lock turning, and Arata gives the handle a turn to no avail. We exchange glances.

"Still think everything's gonna be alright?" I groan. Arata grimaces, and we turn away from the door.

We're in a wide, empty corridor now, with the walls simply covered in red tapestries. Small electrical lamps hang from the ceiling, dimly lighting our way around a corner, and taking us out into a large hall.

The hall was just as huge and cavernous as the staircase hall, with an enormous door on the far side of the room, and grand ceremonial tapestries and enormous statues all around the hall. Two enormous angel-like sculptures were positioned at either side of the door, each about the same height as the door at about twenty feet high. Above the doors, the stone ceiling opened up to slits of stained glass windows that had been laid out to form the Hope's Peak emblem in the Second Branch's school colours – a gunmetal grey on a dark red background.

As we make our way into the centre of the hall, I notice a couple of other ways leading off. One set of double doors, slightly smaller than the main doors ahead of us, were sealed over with a padlock. A passageway on the opposite side of the hall was sealed off like the bars on the staircases. It seemed that beyond the bars there was a flight of stairs leading downwards. There are two small archways in the far corners, in the same wall that we've just come from, but its difficult to make out anything beyond them. Likely, it leads on to the huge outcropping balcony far above us.

A balcony on which the weirdest looking teddy bear I've ever seen is perched on.

"Oh, so you're finally all here, huh?!"

The strange cartoonish voice echoes through the hall, snapping my attention away from the teddy bear. The sixteen of us look around from side to side, trying to work out where the voice could be coming from, but then...

"Hey, I'm up here!" the voice snaps. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the bear fall from the balcony, but instead of flopping lifelessly to the cold marble floor, it seems to bounce up on its stubby little legs and strike a pose. "I'm Monokuma! And you're all late! Is that any way to treat your Headmaster?!"

"H-Headmaster?!" Cho squawks. "What the fuck?!"

"Well, of course!" the bear – Monokuma cheers. "Now, how about you all shut the hell up and let me get on with the show! I've been working on this for a _looooong_ time! I mean, this stuff takes craftwork! Some reaaaal talent!"

"Okay, just to clear this up," Yamato says, "are you seeing that thing move too or am I hallucinating?"

"I... I think we might all be hallucinating," I reply.

The bear bristles at this and approaches us with waddling steps. "Oh, doubting the evidence of your own eyes already, huh? Well, you're gonna have to get used to it, kiddos, cos you're gonna be seein' a whole lot more of me!"

"This is a joke, right?" Masashi snorts, raising an eyebrow. "And a ridiculous one at that."

"Oh, no, no, _no!_ " Monokuma gasps. He waddles away from Yamato and I and hops back to the point on the floor where he had landed before. He brings a paw to his mouth and dramatically clears his throat. " _A-hem-hem!_ Can everyone _see_ me? Can everyone _hear_ me? Lend me your ears, oh, dear students!

"I, your beloved Headmaster, am delighted and honoured to welcome you all to a whole new dimension, like nothing you've ever experienced before! Well, probably..." He shrugs. "This is the Second Branch of Hope's Peak Academy, commonly referred to as Hope's Peak Castle, and now referred to as your home for the rest of your lives!"

"Rest of our lives?!"

"Wait, what?"

"Huh?"

I think we all had something to say about that, and for a second our confusion and panic all overlaps. Monokuma waits for silence and then raises a paw.

"Are you all quite finished? I've got an itinerary, y'know."

Silence.

"Well, as I was saying," he continues, "this is your new home. Forever. Infinitely. Never-endingly. Permanently. Um, um... for a really, really long time. Y'know, that sorta deal! _But,_ before anyone interrupts, I can cut you some slack!

"I mean, I'm doing you a favour, really. I'm protecting you from a cruel, cruel world. But if you'd rather give all that up... if you'd rather leave this place, never to return, yadda yadda... there's one little thing you can do!"

"And what's that?" Haru asks, glaring at Monokuma.

"It's simple!" Monokuma cheers, holding his paws up and unsheathing his claws. "All you gotta do is get away with _murder_!"

* * *

 **16 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	2. Chapter 01: Dead on Arrival (I)

Utter dread.

That's... really the only words I can use to describe how I felt in that moment – how I suppose we all must have felt in that moment.

"Get away with... murder?" Yuki stammers. "Like... for real? Really real?"

"Really, really real!" Monokuma cackles. "Bet ya weren't expecting _that!_ " His claws disappear and he starts pirouetting on the spot. "Y'see, it's a pretty cool system. Gets the brain goin', y'know? Good versus evil. Smart versus stupid. Strong versus weak. All of those and then some!"

"Th-that's ridiculous!" protests Ayaka. "You can't mean that!"

Monokuma stops pirouetting and shrugs at her. "Well, it's either that or you all just get used to staying here. I mean, it's no skin off my button nose what you bastards do in the long run. Either way, I've already won!" He giggles and then points a paw at her. "If anything it's a test of strength for you bastards. Will you stay true to your morals? Will you betray one another? Will you kill your friends? Will ya? Will ya? Will ya?"

"This is fucking crazy," Yamato says, shaking his head. "Nope, sorry, this is just fucking stupid."

"It is what it is!" comes Monokuma's rebuttal. "Just take it as it is, will ya?"

"You really expect us to just go along with this?" Kimi laughs, immaculate eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. She shakes her head and starts to gaze at her talon-like nails with disinterest. "I'm not sure what you expected, darling, but we aren't going to start massacring one another."

Monokuma seems taken aback by this suggestion. "Well, of course I didn't expect that, Miss Congeniality! And that's why there's some rules during your stay here, which you can all peruse at your leisure! Oh, that reminds me – just a sec!"

He waddles across the room, and we watch him go over to one of the large statue plinths. He disappears behind it for a second, his legs waving in the air as he seems to struggle with something that's stuck behind the plinth. Finally, he gets whatever it is and jumps back up, victoriously holding a plain cardboard box.

One by one, he toddles around us, handing each of us some kind of tablet device. I'm the last to get mine, and I have to admit I find myself fighting a shudder for being so close to the weird oversized bear.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Glad ya asked, coffee boy!" Monokuma replies, chirpily. "Listen up, bastards! These are your Student Handbooks, or Electronic IDs – ElectroIDs for short! These contain your student records, the school rules, the castle map, and a couple other things I'll explain when they become relevant! Each ID is also used for accessing certain rooms – your own bedrooms, and your talent labs!"

"Talent labs?" repeats Mitsu.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Monokuma gasps. "We're takin' things up a notch this year, and we're introducing specialist rooms, dedicated to the talents of each of you! But we're rushing ahead now – I'll leave you all to work some stuff out for yourselves! I hope you all enjoy your time here, no matter how long it ends up being! Bye for now!"

And before anyone can say anything else, he disappears from sight.

We all look round at one another in varying degrees of shock and confusion. Monokuma's words are still sinking in – that's obvious enough.

"So, this is just a big joke, right?" Cho frowns, squinting her eyes. The scar-like markings beneath them darken in shadow.

"I... I'm not sure what to think, if I'm honest," Blessing says. "What do we do now?"

"We look for a way out!" Miniro booms. He flashes a smile and a thumbs up at Daisuke. "Where do you want to start, Daisuke?"

Daisuke looks a little confused and stammers, "I d-don't know, rea-"

"Hey, so much for being trapped here!" yells Yuki from the far side of the Hall. "Check it! The doors aren't even locked!"

We all turn to watch as she pushes on the huge entrance door and it squeals open. Straight away, a blast of icy wind comes in through the Hall, and a layer of snow falls in through the open door. There are a few cries of protest, and Miniro shoots forward to heave the door shut again. Yuki looks up at us, sadly.

"Sorry... I got a little carried away," she apologises. Miniro laughs and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Not to worry!" he beams. "I remember reading the weather can be pretty erratic in places this high up."

"So what options do we still have available to us?" Fumio sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I say we wait until morning," Mitsu suggests, looking down at her ElectroID. "If I'm reading this map correctly, there should be private rooms for us down the corridors through one of those archways."

"And what do you suggest we do in the morning?" Ino says. "Are we just supposed to hope nobody's been murdered by then?"

"Are we really taking that seriously?" I ask. "I mean, we're just kids – why the hell would we do something like that?"

"People do all sorts of crazy shit under pressure," sighs Haru with a shrug. "But if there's private rooms that way, that's where I'm headed. I'm not winding up dead just because some idiot fell for the bait."

And without another word, he walked off, hands in pockets, leaving us all staring after him.

"He's... an interesting one," Arata chuckles, a little nervously. "Um, anyway, before we go any further, do you think it'd be best to read the rules that bear or, um, Monokuma – or whatever – mentioned?"

"I guess it's best to tread carefully," Ayaka agrees, dragging a finger over the screen of her ElectroID. "I can't quite understand what's happening here, but if we're to know our enemy, I'd say it's a good place to start."

I look round at the others as, one-by-one, they gaze down at their own ElectroIDs and press the screens. I look down at mine and give it a gentle prod.

The screen lights up, displaying my name and a small photograph I remember being asked to send with my acceptance letter. This changes to a menu screen, displaying a list of options. Like Monokuma told us, there were tabs labeled: 'Castle Map', 'Student Profiles', 'School Rules', and two other tabs that I can't seem to open right now, just labeled: '?'.

I briefly click on the Student Profiles tab, and sixteen pictures all show up – the individual pictures of me and my apparent classmates: me, Haru, Mitsu, Ayaka, Kaori, Miniro, Daisuke, Masashi, Arata, Yuki, Kimi, Blessing, Fumio, Cho, Yamato, and Ino.

Each profile has a list of sort of random stuff I remember filling in on the form that went with the acceptance letter:

 **NAME:** Kei Kamiya **TALENT:** Ultimate Barista

 **HEIGHT:** 180cm **WEIGHT:** 70kg **BUST:** 85cm **BLOOD-TYPE:** A+

 **BIRTHDAY:** October 12 **LIKES:** Coffee, sci-fi books **DISLIKES:** Loud noises, seafood

Everyone else's profile is laid out just like mine is. Curiosity makes me take a quick glance at Haru's profile, hoping to see just what his talent could be, but I'm just met with:

 **TALENT:** Ultimate ?

A little let down, I go back to the main menu and then onto the Rules tab.

 **RULE 01**

Students may reside only within the castle and its grounds.

 **RULE 02**

"Night-time" is the period of time between _10pm_ and _7am_. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

 **RULE 03**

Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

 **RULE 04**

With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore this castle and its grounds at your discretion.

 **RULE 05**

Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras and monitors.

 **RULE 06**

Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "guilty" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

 **RULE 07**

Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

"What the fuck?" I murmur, reading back over them all again.

"This is starting to seem less and less like a joke," Arata groans, looking up from his own ElectroID. "I don't like this one bit..."

"Nor do I," Mitsu says, shaking her head. She seems to be copying something down from the screen of her ElectroID into her notebook. Seems a bit weird when they're already there, but I guess she's just used to taking notes of everything like that. I wonder just how many notebooks she's got shoved away in that satchel of hers.

"Well, now that it looks like we're all up to speed," Kaori says, sliding her ElectroID into the pocket of her boiler suit, "what do we do _now_?"

"I say we give this place another look over," Yamato suggests, running a hand through his messy green hair. "If we still can't find anything after that, then we come back and decide on a Plan B."

"Can't argue with that," shrugs Kaori.

"Hm, are you all finished yet?"

I turn round to see Masashi, lounging against the wall. He gazes at us with a kind of cold indifference – which I guess is pretty easy when you have eyes as piercing as his seem to be.

"Eager to start?" Kimi asks him. The sarcasm is almost dripping from her words. Masashi snorts, derisively and starts to walk away from us.

"Nothing like that, really," he says, not looking back. "I just happen to think that other guy had the right idea. I'm not getting involved in anyone else's stupidity."

"So you're hiding away while we do all the work?" Yamato calls after him.

"I'm just not getting myself murdered is all, really," Masashi replies, indifferently. "If you're going to make a big deal out of it, that's even less reason to be near any of you."

And with that, he passes under the archway at the far side of the hall and disappears around a corner – his grey coat flapping slightly as he goes.

"Well, looks like we're two down already," Miniro sighs, folding his arms. "That's not very encouraging."

"That still leaves fourteen of us!" Blessing cries, looking round at all of us. "That should be more than enough to start with!"

"This place is massive though!" protests Yuki, throwing her arms wide for emphasis. "It's like a hundred floors high!"

"I have a feeling the upper floors won't be open to us yet," Mitsu points out, chewing on the end of her pen. "But it's worth checking out anyway. We should try and find a phone or some way of contacting the outside world."

"Would have been easy if all our stuff hadn't been taken," sighs Arata.

"Wait – shit, I didn't even think to check!" I cry, patting down my pockets. But, of course, Arata's right. My phone, like my coat and my luggage have all disappeared.

"Looks like Monokuma's covered all his bases," Yamato murmurs. "Right, there's no use hanging about here doing nothing – I'm gonna go check the staircase."

"I'll come with you," Arata says.

There's a few murmurs from the others and we decide to split up into four groups. Yamato, Arata, and Kaori decide to go check the staircases and the rest of the First Floor; Mitsu, Daisuke, Miniro and I decide to search the North Wing of the Ground Floor, where the private rooms should be; Ino, Yuki, Blessing and Kimi take the West Wing; and Fumio, Ayaka, and Cho take the East Wing.

We pass under one of the archways at the back of the hall and find ourselves in a short corridor. There's a few dim electric lights and thick red carpets serving as the only decoration. The corridor ends in a sharp left turn, and up a small flight of stairs which brings us to the lowest balcony where Monokuma had leaped from earlier.

Mitsu takes a quick look over the balcony. She notices me looking and shrugs.

"Hm, I thought a different perspective might've helped out," she says. "No such luck."

Daisuke and Miniro are a little further ahead of us. Miniro seems to be talking quietly to Daisuke, and I wonder if he's still trying to comfort the nervous florist.

Mitsu falls into step beside me as we move past the balcony and along another corridor that opens up into a long row of windows. There isn't much to see outside. The snow's more or less completely blocked the windows off.

"What do you think of what's going on?" she asks me.

"I don't know," I admit. "I'm... freaked out. I feel like I don't know what to believe at this point. How about you?"

"I'm... I'm not sure what I think yet," she replies. I look at her quizzically, and I can see she has a strange faraway look in her bright green eyes. "I've... been in some weird situations before."

"I guess being a journalist must have lead you into some pretty crazy stuff," I nod.

"I might tell you at some point," she smiles. "But for now, let's focus on the task at hand. It looks like that door at the end there leads to the Dormitories."

I give her a slight nod, but she's quick to walk away from me. There's something kind of impressive about the way she carries herself. It doesn't take her long to reach the far end of the hallway, and pass through the door she'd pointed out to me. Daisuke and Miniro pass through behind her, with Miniro holding the door open for me to pass through. I thank him and he smiles warmly at me.

"Think nothing of it," he beams, following me through the doorway into a large, round room.

It's far more cluttered and comfortable than any of the other rooms I've been in so far. Large chairs and couches with big, embroidered cushions are placed all around the room, with several facing one another, separated by a coffee table. There's three smaller couches assembled in a half circle at the far side of the room beside an enormous fireplace. A small fire is crackling away in the grate, casting a warm orange glow. Brass lamps light the rest of the room, sat atop wooden desks tucked into alcoves alongside large shelves, crammed full of books and papers. At each end of the room, there's two small archways, each appearing to lead up a small curved staircase. A large glass and steel chandelier hangs in the centre of the ceiling, adding to the weird artisan vibe we'd seen throughout the rest of the castle so far.

"It's quite pretty in here," comments Mitsu, approvingly, as she scribbles some notes down in her notebook again.

"I guess this is the Common Room and those stairs there go up to the Dormitories," Daisuke murmurs. He seems to have stopped trembling now, but he still seems unsure about moving from his spot by the bookcase.

"We should take a side each," Miniro says, inclining his head in the direction of the two archways.

"Splitting the work seems to have helped so far," I shrug. "Get you back here in a few minutes." I turn to Mitsu. "You coming?"

She's inspecting the bookcase behind Daisuke, running her finger along one of the shelves. Daisuke timidly walks away with Miniro and I put my hands in the pockets of my hoodie while I wait on some sort of response.

Mitsu finally finishes her inspection and looks back at me.

"Oh, sorry, did you want something?"

I fight the urge to laugh and I gesture over to the left-hand archway, just as the other two disappear to the right.

"Right, sure," Mitsu says, and I let her lead the way again.

We pass through the arch, clamber up the small curving set of stairs, and find ourselves in yet another corridor. The decor in here is pretty much the same as the Common Room, with the red carpets and the dim lighting. There are four doors on our left hand side, while the right hand wall is just covered in more tapestries and framed portraits.

"Hm, looks like they went all out on the doors," Mitsu says, inclining her head in the direction of the door closest to us.

She wasn't wrong. Out of all the weird decorative choices the castle had thrown at us so far, the Dormitory doors were something else. They look like the sort of doors you'd find in some top secret military base, or a spaceship or something. Thick, steel bulkhead-like doors, with white nameplates screwed in the upper part. Each plate had a weird 8-bit pixel design of each of us above our name – one for each room. At the side of each of the doors is a card reader device – ElectroID-sized.

The room closest to us is Yamato's, then Blessing's, then Arata's, and then mine. Mitsu asks me if I want to check my room out, but I decide to check out the rest of the corridor first. My door sits just where the corridor bends, leading down another long stretch of corridor. We pass along it, and a moment later we see Miniro and Daisuke appearing from the far end.

"Oh, hey!" Miniro calls up to us with a wide grin. "Looks like we didn't have to meet back at the Common Room at all!"

"Seems like kind of a weird architecture choice," frowns Mitsu, tapping her pen against the side of her cheek. The other two look at me, as if they're expecting me to expand on that for them. I manage a shrug.

"You checked your rooms yet?" I ask.

"Daisuke took a quick look round the door," Miniro says.

"I... I didn't really want to stay in there for too long," Daisuke admits, tugging nervously at the sleeves of his blue jumper.

"Fair enough," I nod, trying to give him a reassuring smile. He returns a shy smile of his own and then we turn back to Mitsu, who's tapping at her ElectroID again.

"Looks like the Map's updated with room owners," she says, turning it round to show us. Like I'd already noticed, I could see the little 8-bit figures of Yamato, Blessing, Arata, and I over each of the rooms on the left hand corridor. Along this central corridor there were six rooms to the right of us – starting with Miniro at the bend beside mine, then Kimi, then Masashi, Mitsu, Ayaka, and Ino -, and two on the inner side – Fumio and Cho. The final four on the right-hand corridor were Haru, Yuki, Kaori, and Daisuke.

I also realised that the Map indicated where the owner was located, with a small pulsating red blip.

"I guess that's handy..."

"Would be more handy if it showed where everyone else was though," Mitsu says.

"You mean in case anyone takes Monokuma on his word?" I grimace. She gives me a grave look.

"It's safer to be cautious right now," she explains. "Though it may seem Masashi and Haru were in the right to disappear so quickly, who's to say that makes them any safer than the rest of us?"

I ponder this for a second. "You mean like if the worst came to the worst, it could end up going against them, right?"

She nods again. "I mean, I'd like to believe that nothing's going to come of this and it all turns out to be one big joke, but I... I just have this feeling I can't quite shake."

She seems properly troubled now, and she has that faraway look in her eyes again. A moment later, however, it's gone again, and she seems to regain her resolve.

"Sorry," she says, running a hand through her hair. "I'm overthinking – let's check our rooms out."

Satisfied with the confirmation that the corridors just loop back again, I agree, and we split up to check out the rooms. Daisuke insists on staying outside while Miniro and I check out our rooms, and though I feel a little concerned about him, I decide it's better to just get it over and done with, so I hold my ElectroID up against the card reader and then step back in surprise as the door slides back with a dull _clunk_!

The first thing that strikes me is how... expensive everything looks. White wood counters with black marble counter tops; thick black carpet across the whole floor; silvery-white fleur-de-lis wallpaper with black skirtings; and a black metal table with two matching chairs. I'd make a joke about that evil lady from 101 Dalmatians being the interior decorator, but I don't know if I feel much like making jokes right now.

There's a large black curtain covering the entire far wall, and I experimentally pull it over a little, only to find myself staring out into total dark nothingness. I could just make out the heavy swirls of snow as it blanketed the castle.

"Thinkin' of breakin' the window, coffee boy?"

The voice comes from right beside me and I stumble back, hitting my ass on the floor. Monokuma – who had apparently appeared from nowhere – doesn't even bother turning round as I pick myself back up. He just keeps facing out the window.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I stammer, backing away a little, til I feel my back pressing against the metal table. Monokuma seems to shake his head.

"I'm your Headmaster, dummy," he sighs. "It's all part of the process with new students to see how they're all getting on."

"Look, I don't know what the hell's going on here," I say, starting to stress out, "but this whole thing's went on long enough – who are you?"

"Y'know, you're gonna get your talent revoked if you keep talkin' like that!" Monokuma replies, turning to face me now. "What sorta barista talks to people like that, huh? I'd be speakin' to the manager, if I'm honest."

"Look, look, just... just stop," I sigh. "Please. I just need this to start making sense."

"This is as much sense as you're gonna get, buddy!" Monokuma snaps, waving a paw at me. "And as I was trying to tell you in the first place – if you were thinkin' of breaking the window, you're outta luck – you'd need a bomb to even dent that glass. Trust me, I know from experience, upupu!"

And with a final manic giggle, he bolts past me. As soon as he's out of my field of vision, he seems to just disappear completely without a trace.

As soon as I'm certain I'm totally alone, I do another quick look over the room. There's a security camera nestled away in the corner just above the curtain rod, a monitor set into the wall directly across from the big double bed, and a black wardrobe.

I open the door, gingerly, and discover to my surprise that its stocked with a bunch of the clothes that I'd had in my suitcase.

"Couldn't have gave me my phone back too?" I mutter through gritted teeth as I flick through the clothes that are up on hangers. Seems like all my normal clothes are missing besides a couple of spare hoodies, and besides that it's just a bunch of white shirts and a few pairs of black jeans. There's my favourite pair of trainers too, jammed in at the back, but I decide just to stick with the heavier brown boots I'm already wearing.

There's another couple of drawers I search through on the off chance that something useful's been tucked away, but besides underwear, no joy. Go figure. I try not to think about the fact that someone else has touched my underwear, and close the drawer back over.

As I turn to walk back out of the room, I realise that there's a frosted glass door, leading onto an en-suite bathroom. The room is all black tiled and polished metal and I find myself desperate for a shower and some clean clothes. I've still got some dust on my hoodie and my jeans from waking up on the floor in that classroom. God, it feels like that was days ago already... I make a mental note to shower and change as soon as we've all finished our search.

With one last longing look at the shower, I pass back to the door and walk back into the hallway.

"All done?" Daisuke asks me, nervously.

"Yup," I sigh. "It's pretty fancy, but... I'd rather not stay here. It just feels kind of off. Oh, did you check your wardrobe?"

Daisuke shakes his head. "I just looked in and then came out again. Mr Shirane's been so nice to me, I didn't want to make him wait for too long."

Mr Shirane, huh? That's... oddly formal between classmates, I think to myself. I decide not to question it – I feel like it'd only offend him.

We're saved from any awkwardness by the arrival of Mr Shirane himself, as Miniro steps out of his own room. He's taken off his blue jacket and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up past his forearms. My first thought is of how the hell he gets clothes to fit him. There's ripped and then there's Miniro – woah...

My second thought is what could be taking Mitsu so long. I suggest we go check on her, and the other two agree.

A moment later, we're outside her door. I realise there's a buzzer I hadn't noticed before and I give it a quick jab with my thumb. A few seconds pass, and then finally the door opens.

"Sorry, was I holding things up?" she asks, stepping out and shutting the door behind her. "I was searching for my notebooks."

"Notebooks? Aren't they all in your bag?" I ask. She shakes her head grimly.

"I only have two blank ones in my bag," she replies. "I remember having a bunch of them with me when I arrived though."

"Reckon that means they've went the same way as our phones then, huh?" Miniro suggests. Mitsu looks dejected.

"I could cope without my phone," she says, sadly, "but all my notes... So much work just gone."

"Don't you have any back-ups?" I ask.

"I'm... not really a technology person," Mitsu says, shaking her head again. "I can trust my own words more than I can trust the words I see on a screen."

"I guess that's a fair enough way to work," I shrug. "Who knows – your notebooks might turn up somewhere else! Hopefully our phones will too."

"We can only hope," Daisuke sighs, staring down at his trainers.

"Well, anyway, now's not the time to be feeling sorry for myself," Mitsu says, straightening up again. "We should finish checking out the other rooms here in the North Wing and then we can go meet the others again."

"Sounds good to me," I agree.

Our search of the North Wing provides us... with almost nothing.

We wander down stretches of identical corridors, up and down small sets of steps, through some balcony areas and some cloisters. They all seem to just open up and lead to more and more rooms, empty besides desks and classroom materials. There are bookshelves here and there throughout the halls, but they're only full of boring textbooks and stuff that means absolutely nothing to any of us particularly.

Just as it seems we're never going to find anything, Daisuke suddenly comes across a door that leads out onto a small covered bridge that connects the main castle to one of the towers.

The four of us step out onto the bridge, the wind howling, and the snowstorm still raging all around us. Fortunately, the roof is low enough that we're pretty much covered from the full force of the elements, but high enough that Miniro isn't having to crouch to get through it. Despite our cover, the wind still whips our hair and our clothes about us, and I'm quick to zip my hoodie up before the zipper takes someone's eye out.

I try to look out through the space available but its too dark and too misty to make out anything below. We're not too high up, I don't think, but it's still pretty much certain that we're not making any sort of great escape while the weather is like this.

Finally, though, we fight our way across the bridge and reach the door at the far side. Miniro heaves it open and we all fall in, shivering and sore, besides Miniro, who seems to just take it in his stride. He runs a hand through his hair and shakes some snow out of it before turning on the spot and frowning ahead of us.

I follow suit, and realise we're in a small sort of antechamber that leads on to another room. The only problem is, there's no way any of us can get into the next room.

"I guess this is one of those talent labs that Monokuma mentioned, right?"

The door in front of us is tall and impressive. It seems to be black sandstone, though intricate pale blue lines have been carved into it, in various different shapes. I realise just before reading the nameplate that the lines are meant to represent blueprints of some sort. _Talent Laboratory: Ultimate Architect_ , the silver nameplate informs us in an elegant cursive font.

"So, this is that girl Ino's lab then," Mitsu notes. Her hands are still shaking from the cold, but she still manages to unclasp her bag, slide out her pen and notebook, and quickly jot this new information down.

"Maybe once she hears about this she'll be a bit less scary," Daisuke suggests.

"We should be so lucky," I reply with a small smile.

After discovering Ino Watabe's Talent Lab in the Tower off of the North Wing, the four of us decide that our search seems to be over and return to the Entrance Hall to meet the others.

Not too long after, the others all return. Before we can start our discussion, Mitsu suggests we move the conversation to the Common Room.

"I think I'd rather do this somewhere a little warmer," she explains. "Plus I'd rather get a proper seat."

There's a few murmurs of agreement from the others, and we let Miniro and Daisuke lead the way back from where we've just come from.

After everyone's over their pleasant surprise at just how nice the Common Room actually is compared to the rest of the castle so far, we all take seats around the fireplace. It feels good to get some proper heat after being out on that froze-over bridge earlier, and I find myself sinking back a little in the plush couch beside Arata.

"So, besides this," he says, holding his hands out closer to the fire, "what else did you guys find?"

"Well, both doorways at either side of the room lead to opposite ends of the Dormitory Corridor," I explain. "There's a room for each of us, and each door has a card reader thing – I guess that's to stop anyone getting into the wrong room or whatever."

"The rooms are pretty swanky," Miniro continues. "Comfy enough furniture; big bed; windows."

"That can't be broken, according to Monokuma," I add.

"Huh? You mean you saw him?" Arata asks, wide-eyed. Suddenly, the others are all looking at me.

"Um, yeah?" I reply. "He appeared when I was checking the window in my room and told me it'd take like... a bomb or something to break the windows."

"Well, realistically, we can just make it out of the door in the morning, right?" Kaori asks.

"I'd like to say yes," Arata murmurs, "but I have a feeling it isn't going to be that easy."

His words are met with an uncomfortable silence for a few long moments. And then I remembered something else.

"Oh, but on the plus side," I say, "it seems like some of our stuff has been put into the wardrobes in the rooms – I mean, if mine is anything to go by at least."

"Some of our stuff?" Yamato echoes. "Not all of our stuff?"

"Well, I don't know," I reply. "I know I brought way more stuff with me than what I found in there though."

"This must not be the case!" Kimi gasps. "What about my make-up bags?"

"You mean you have more than one make-up bag?" Yuki asks, eyebrows raised incredulously.

"Why, of course!" She almost looks offended. "There's a reason I'm the Ultimate Beautician, you know."

"Um, anyway," Blessing says, turning to face me, "was there anything else of interest during your search?"

"Not really much else I noticed about the rooms," I say, shaking my head. "Oh, well, besides the en-suite shower rooms."

"Well, that's something, I suppose!" she smiles.

"We searched the rest of the North Wing too," Daisuke says, quietly. "A lot of it was just more classrooms and stuff. But we found a bridge that connected on to a tower and there was a room in there."

"Oh, yeah!" Miniro nods. "Looks like it was one of those Talent Lab things Monokuma mentioned before. It was yours, Ino!"

Ino doesn't say anything – just nods – but its hard to miss her semi-permanent scowl soften a little.

"So there's more in this part of the school after all," Fumio says.

"How d'you mean?" Kaori asks.

"He means that we found another of those Lab things in the East Wing!" Cho beams. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Who's Lab?" asks Mitsu, pen already poised over her notebook.

"It's Kei's," Ayaka replies, inclining her head in my direction. "At the end of one of the galleries on the East Wing, there's a green door. The plate on it said it was the Talent Lab of the Ultimate Barista."

"The door wouldn't respond to any of our ID things," shrugs Cho. "Figure it must just respond to the room's owner or whatever."

"Sounds like its the same as the dormitories then," I nod. "I guess that Lab's worth checking out before the morning then."

"Soooo, does that mean the rest of our Labs are in the upper levels?" Cho asks.

"Even if they are there's no way of getting to them," sighs Yamato. "Mitsu was right from what she said earlier – we're still just confined to this part of the school."

I had pretty much expected that would be the case by this point, and it seems that the others did too, going by their lack of reactions.

"Well, did anyone else find anything worth mentioning?" Mitsu asks. "Even if it doesn't seem too important?"

"We found a kitchen and a dining hall," Blessing says. "The dining hall probably isn't as important, but we'll need to get our strength up before we go out into the snow in the morning!"

I hadn't even realised how hungry I was at this point but as soon as Blessing mentioned the kitchen, I felt my stomach rumble. When was the last time I had even ate? I can't even remember now, jeez.

"Once we're done here can we go eat then?" Cho asks. "I'm thinkin' about barbeque ribs already."

"No way, she just drooled on me!" Kimi shrieks, leaping up from her seat. "Control yourself, you animal!"

"Hey, that's no way to talk to someone," Arata says. Kimi's sharp gaze falls on him and he seems to crumble under it.

"Okay, so, before anyone gets a murder boner," Yamato says, drily, "how about we finish up here for the night, go get something to eat, and regroup in the morning? I mean, I don't have much else to report. Classrooms, reading rooms, that's about it."

"We're pretty much the same," shrugs Blessing. "Besides what we already found."

"Well, if that's us all done, I guess we might as well get dinner and then call it a night," Mitsu says. "I can't see us being able to achieve much more tonight."

And when nobody else had anything else to add, that was pretty much what we did.

It turns out the other large set of doors in the Entrance Hall lead onto the large dining hall Blessing had mentioned. It was lit from above with enormous chandeliers, illuminating the lines of six long marble tables that took up the majority of the room.

At the far end of the hall were several dumbwaiters beside a door that lead down a small flight of stairs into an enormous kitchen.

"So what are these things anyway?" Arata asks, gesturing at the dumbwaiters. The others are all passing ahead of us, but I hang back a moment to explain.

"They're called dumbwaiters – they're basically small elevators for food. The kitchens are below us, so to save the food having to be carried up the stairs or whatever, the food just gets put in the dumbwaiter and sent up, and then gets collected by whoever's at the top. We used to do that for a while in the cafe back home before the place got renovated."

"Hm, that's pretty cool," Arata nods. "Now I think about it, I'm pretty sure I saw an old detective show where they found some dead guy shoved in one of these."

It's only when he finishes his sentence he seems to remember our current situation and he grimaces before giving me an apologetic look. Despite myself, I just laugh.

"Don't worry about it," I smile. "It's not like anyone's actually gonna die."

Seriously, someone start a tally for every time I'm completely fucking wrong.

We join the others down in the kitchen, and I find myself a little taken by surprise. The rest of the castle's been a weird anachronistic blend of old and new, but this kitchen seems like it would be right at home on some luxury cruise liner. Everything's white and silver and expensive looking. There's like a whole wall of cutlery things, piles of pots and pans all neatly stacked, several big ovens, a few microwaves, toasters, kettles, and a bunch of cupboards which are no doubt full of more cooking stuff. There's two large fridges set into the wall, and one of those big open-drawer freezers. I can see doors for a pantry, and a walk-in cooler, and there's baskets full of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's all pretty impressive. My mom would kill for a kitchen like this in the cafe!

"Hm, there's a note on the worktop," Blessing says. "It says that all the food is replaced weekly."

"Well, hopefully we won't be here long enough to find out," Miniro replies, peering into the fridge. "Anyone any good at cooking?"

"How about you, barista boy?" Yuki asks me.

"Um, I can cook some basic stuff," I say, sheepishly. "But I'm more the customer-oriented side of the cafe, really."

"I think you and Ino should check out your Labs soon enough anyway," Mitsu suggests. "It's worth exploring as much as we can while we're here in case there's some way of getting help. Can anyone else cook?"

"I can cook," Blessing says, raising a hand confidently. "I've got a heart condition, so I started following a fairly strict diet. I had to learn how to make food for myself when I was travelling a lot on shoots and stuff!"

"Um, I can help with cooking too," Daisuke says, timidly. "My mom and I cook all the time."

"Well, between the three of us we should be able to make something for all of us," Ayaka says. "I'm self-taught though so I tend to improvise a lot – I might need a bit of steering."

"Well, that seems fair enough!" Arata smiles. "I can help out a little too, while the others get on with checking those Labs out!"

There was some talk about people having allergies and dietary requirements and whatever, which Mitsu quickly scribbled down and tore out of her notebook and laid on the worktop for Blessing, Daisuke, Ayaka and Arata to use for reference.

"Oh, I'm sure I know just the thing that'll suit everyone!" Blessing says, excitedly. "I'll just check the pantry."

"Well, we'll leave you guys to it!" I smile. "How long d'you reckon you'll need?"

"An hour at most," Blessing calls back. "So take your time!"

And with that, the rest of us file back up the stairs, leaving the four of them to get on with it.

"I just can't stop thinking about barbeque ribs," I hear Cho say to a bemused Fumio.

"I'm gonna go see if those other two are gonna join us for food," Yamato says, once we reach the top of the stairs. "I mean, I doubt they'll come down but I'd feel bad not even asking them."

"That's a good idea," nods Miniro. "I'll come with you."

"Me too," Kimi says. "I wish to check out my room."

"Hey, yeah, I haven't had a chance to check mine out yet!" Cho adds.

"Well, Kei, how about me and you show Ino where her Lab is, and then we can go find yours?" Mitsu suggests.

"It's alright," Ino says, "the quiet kid already said it was on a tower off of one of the North Wing corridors – I'll check it out myself."

And before we can even protest, she flounces away.

"She might be the most highly strung person I've ever met in my life," Kaori chuckles as we walk out of the Hall behind her. "Reckon you two can find that Lab without any help?"

"We've got an hour to burn," I shrug, "no point rushing it, I guess."

"Well, if you change your mind just come find one of us!" she says, slapping me on the back as a way of goodbye.

"Will do," I wheeze, trying to catch my breath as Mitsu tries – and fails – to hide an amused grin.

I haven't noticed just how eerily quiet the castle is before now. Of course, there had always been a few people around at any given time, but now it's just Mitsu and I, the silence really seems oppressive. I don't want to speak for fear of disturbing the quiet around us, but at the same time I'm yearning for noise. Just a background hum of something, like the machinery in the cafe back home; or the quiet conversation of people chatting at the tables; hisses of steam; clinking of cups and plates and cutlery; distant noises of traffic and birdsong.

"Get it together," I mutter to myself beneath my breath. Mitsu stops, suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I sigh. "I think this place is just getting to me."

"Already?" she asks. "You need to be strong, Kei. Best case scenario, we're out first thing in the morning; worst case scenario? Who knows? But what are you going to do if the situation does get worse?"

"I... I don't..."

"Exactly," she says, gravely. "None of us know what we're capable of. We're all strangers. Who's to say how things will turn out? But don't feed into it. Don't become something you're not. You need to be strong."

"I guess you're right." I run a hand through my hair and let out a long, slow breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. "We all need to be strong," I nod. "We can do this."

Her grim expression softens and she gives me a small smile. "That's better. Now come on, if the ElectroID map is anything to go by, we're nearly there."

I found myself looking at her kind of admiringly. She seems so self-assured and confident. I guess you have to be to make it as a journalist. I imagine it'd be pretty intense.

We finally arrive at the end of the gallery, to find ourselves facing a plain green door, with a silver handle. There's a silver plate too, just like there had been on Ino's - _Talent Laboratory: Ultimate Barista_. A card reader pulses slightly in the dim light, and after sharing a look with Mitsu, I take out my ElectroID and press it against the screen. There's a confirmation beep and the door lock clicks.

Carefully, I reach out for the handle and give it a turn, half-expecting something chaotic to happen.

But, nope, the door swings open and we're looking on into...

An American diner?

"Okay, this is... interesting," I find myself fighting the urge to laugh. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.

The floor is black and white checkered tiles, and the walls are purple and plastered with postcards and road signs, with tubes of lights lining the walls and ceiling. There's a long bar, with four tall purple leather adjustable stools facing it. There's some purple leather booths too, and some metal tables and chairs further back. Instead of windows, there's a screen projecting a view of a desert road outside.

"Do you think it suits your talent?" Mitsu asks. "It's quite pretty."

"Well, I guess I'm meant to... work the other side of the bar?" I say, walking down to the far end of the bar and opening up the small hatch to get behind it. There was plenty of impressive-looking machinery, ranging from the smaller coffee machines and milkshake machines I'd use in the cafe back home, up to larger, more modern, expensive machines that mom would point out to me online when she was looking at upgrades. There was a small back room containing a bunch of supplies for making all sorts of drinks. Big tanks of fizzy drinks and water, and barrels of coffee, and boxes of tea – a whole bunch of different brands. I had to admit this backroom made me more homesick than the main sort of diner.

"All in stock then, huh?" Mitsu smiles, taking a seat on one of the stools at the far side of the bar.

"Looks like it," I nod. "Oh, hey, what's... this..."

I smile at her as I emerge from the backroom, now adorned with a powder blue apron, emblazoned with the Hope's Peak crest in purple stitching.

"You look the part," she nods, approvingly. "Wanna give something a shot?"

"Your wish is my command, ma'am!" I laugh. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Hm..." She props her elbows on the bar and looks up above me – I realise now that there's a menu written in chalk on the wall above me. "I was gonna challenge you, but I think I just want a cola instead."

"Comin' right up!"

It takes me less than a minute to hook the barrels up to the right output taps, and the drink machine is all set! A few seconds later, I set out a plain napkin on the bar in front of Mitsu, and then place a full glass of fizzing cola in front of her. I pluck a straw out of one of the holders behind the bar and place it in her glass with a flourish.

"That'll be 200, thanks," I joke, leaning on the bar and holding out my hand for money.

"Oh, I must've left my purse at home," she replies, going along with it. "Can I put it on a tab?"

"Just this once," I smirk, and then burst out laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't keep that up much longer."

"You're pretty cheesy, huh?" Mitsu says. "I bet you're like a shameless flirt with your customers."

"Only the pretty ones," I shrug, standing back up to go set up the smallest coffee machine for a quick cup before we head back. She laughs at this, but by the time I turn back round again, she's got her notebook out and she's writing away at a rapid pace. I leave my coffee to finish brewing and then take the apron back off, hanging it back in the small room where I found it.

The coffee's finished when I return, and I slide it across the bar beside Mitsu, and walk round to sit up beside her.

"So, you seem to be writing pretty much non-stop," I say, taking a sip of coffee. It doesn't taste too good – I didn't recognise the brand of beans I'd used but I make a mental note not to bother with them next time. "Surely you can't have that much to write about?"

"It's important to notice everything," Mitsu replies, shaking her head. "It's... just kind of second nature now. I write down as much as I can as often as I can so there's always something."

"How d'you mean?"

Mitsu sighs. "Um, can we talk about it some other time? I don't really feel like going into it right now, sorry."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," I nod. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything."

"No, I know you didn't, Kei – it's fine."

I sneak a glance at her notebook and just manage a glimpse of my name at the top of the page before she finishes writing and snaps the book shut.

"Do you think we should head back now?" she asks.

"Only if you want to," I reply. "But you've barely touched your drink."

"I'm not thirsty anymore," she says, and hops off of the stool. Ouch, I guess I must've struck a chord with her after all...

I decide just to abandon my coffee on the counter beside her drink, and follow her back out into the hall beyond. I hear the faint buzz of the lights going out behind me as I close the door, and a second later the lock clicks.

"Well, that's that, I guess," I murmur to myself, and race to catch up with the less-than-happy journalist, who had already made it about halfway back up the gallery ahead of me.

After returning to the kitchens, I was tasked with helping Arata lay out plates, cutlery, and glasses upstairs in the dining hall. I showed him how to use the dumbwaiter and explained how I thought I might have pissed Mitsu off. He tells me not to worry about it, and that she'll probably feel better on a full stomach. I silently agree.

Not long later, we're all sitting down to eat the food that Blessing, Ayaka, Daisuke, and Arata have prepared for us – a strange barbecued meat, much to Cho's delight, and some vegetable medley kind of thing. Masashi and Haru have apparently refused to join us, but the others all returned, seemingly in better spirits than before, now that they know they've got at least some of their belongings back, and they all have beds for the night.

Even Ino's mood seems to have improved when she returns from her Talent Lab, and she enthusiastically starts to inform Blessing and Kimi of her findings. Blessing looks genuinely interested, nodding and asking questions – Kimi less so.

After dinner, we decide to take the dishes back downstairs. We're still in agreement that we'll be free tomorrow – though whether we believe that or not is another issue entirely – so dishes are hardly high priority.

No sooner than we've finished that, bells seem to toll from far, far above us – low and ominous.

 _Ding dong, ding dooong!_

A second after that, the intercoms and monitors all come to life, and Monokuma's picture appears onscreen. He seems to be in a dimly-lit room, full of computer banks. He's holding what looks like a martini in his left paw.

" _Hey, kids!_ " he greets us, cheerfully. " _How's the search goin' for ya? 'Course, you're down two already. I hope nothing_ baaaad _happened to either of 'em!_ " He raises the martini to his mouth and tips it back in one go before launching the glass away. I can just about hear it shatter through the intercom. " _Nah, I'm kidding, I don't care. More fun if they're dead. They're not though, unfortunately. But that's besides the point – I'm really only here to tell you kids that it's 10pm, and if you've got half a brain cell between the lot of ya, you'll recall what that means!_ "

"He means Night-time, righ-"

" _It's Night-time!_ " Monokuma screeches, interrupting Cho, who looks up at the monitor in alarm. " _Now, I'm gonna be locking the Dining Hall any second now so I recommend you all get to your beds if ya know what's good for ya! Sleep tight, dear students! Tomorrow's a_ whoooole _new day!_ " And with what seems to be a trademark manic laugh, he disappears offscreen and the monitors and intercom system all power back down.

After exchanging a few weary looks, we all head back to the Common Room, and then part ways into our separate dorm rooms, with a chorus of, "Goodnight"s and, "Sleep well"s.

It's only after I get out of my shower that I realise I don't actually have any clothes for sleeping in, and I resign myself to sleeping in my boxer shorts.

As I sink under the covers of the bed, I find myself thinking how we'd all been over dinner. Even before that, really. There already seems to be a genuine sense of familiarity with one another, as if we're already moving past the point of being strangers and becoming proper classmates.

It's a weird feeling – one I guess that could only be born from a situation like the one we've found ourselves in. I vaguely remember some old saying about joining together in the face of adversity, but I can't remember how it goes. I make a note to ask Mitsu when she isn't mad at me. Maybe tomorrow, if all goes to plan.

Of course, by tomorrow, that's the last thing on my mind...

16 STUDENTS REMAINING


	3. Chapter 01: Dead on Arrival (II)

_Ding dong, ding doooong!_

The toll of the bells from far above wakes me that morning, followed immediately by the chime of the intercom and the faint buzz of static as the monitor in my room switches on.

" _Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!_ "

The monitor cuts off again and I sit up in my bed with a groan. How could it be morning already? I must've only managed like an hour or so of sleep by the time I finally nodded off.

I feel pretty gross from lack of sleep, but I manage to resist the urge to go for another shower before I get dressed and head downstairs.

The Common Room is different in the daytime. Light from outside is pouring in from small windows far above, and I find myself stopping at the foot of the stairs for a moment just to appreciate it. The Common Room might have been more welcoming than a lot of the other rooms we found, but this... this almost feels normal...

Most of the others have already assembled here, with the exceptions of Masashi, Mitsu, Daisuke, Cho, and Kimi. I was pretty surprised to see Haru sitting on one of the couches, looking completely disinterested at whatever conversation Yamato, Yuki, Arata, and Blessing are having beside him.

Fumio is the first to notice me – he's sitting at a small table by himself a little apart from the others – and he give me a small wave.

"Good morning, Kei," he says.

"Hey! Morning, everyone," I reply. There's a few greetings from the others, and I take a seat in an empty chair. "Where's the others?"

"Masashi's still hiding out in his room," Arata says, "and Mitsu wanted to search the first few floors again by herself for something."

"Kimi's still in her room," Kaori adds. "I knocked about twenty minutes ago but she told me she'd need like another hour or so."

"And Cho kidnapped Daisuke because she wanted to go get food," Blessing smiles. "She said she was too hungry to wait for everyone else."

"Oh, so it was just me you guys were waiting on? Sorry for keeping you all behind – I'm usually pretty on the ball," I sigh. "Um, shall we go?"

"No need to apologise," Arata beams. "We only just got Haru to come out before you came down!"

Haru looks at me for a moment, but doesn't say anything. I start heading for the door, following behind Ino and Kaori, and when I glance back I see that only now that everyone else has all stood up from their seats that Haru's bothered to move.

We make our way down to the dining hall, where Cho's halfway through devouring what looks like enough meat to make up half of a cow. Daisuke is sitting across from her, trying to hide the look of absolute horror on his face. I notice he isn't touching his own food and I don't really blame him – I don't even really want to eat after seeing that.

There's a few groans of disgust from some, and a couple of impressed noises from others – I'm somewhere in the middle – but we all take the same seats we'd taken the night before over dinner and come to a plan. Like last night, it ends up being the same four on food duty, though I offer to pull my weight and sort everyone's drinks out. Haru's the only one who refuses – slouching away down to the kitchen himself.

"Don't take it personally," Arata murmurs to me. "He refused to come out of his room earlier til he knew we were all away."

I remember the tea and coffee machines in the kitchen aren't as up-to-date as the machinery in my Talent Lab, and part of me is tempted to ask Miniro to help me carry a couple of the machines down from there, but if we're only here for another few hours is it really worth it?

I decide against it, and go round everyone to see what it is they want to drink. Now, this is where the kind of cool part of my talent comes in handy! I have a pretty great memory, and I only need to hear someone's order once to memorize it. It's useful for a couple other things too – I usually don't do too bad in tests and exams after revising a couple of times, and I'm pretty much guaranteed to win any kind of memory game you throw at me, so that's always pretty fun!

A list of drinks mentally noted, I get up to head down to the kitchen, but Yuki bounces to her feet. "Hey, hey, I'll help out!" she beams. "C'mon!"

And before I can say anything else, she's dragging me by the sleeve down the stairs to the kitchen after Arata and the others. We briefly pass Haru on the stairway, who's holding a bottle of water and a slice of toast. He doesn't have much to say – shock horror...

Thanks to Yuki's assistance, the drinks are sent up in one of the dumbwaiters and then handed out to each of the others super quick.

We manage a little bit of conversation in between her dashes from the counter to the dumbwaiter, and I learn – much to my surprise – that she actually only drinks decaff coffee. I tell her about my mom, and our cafe, and the Talent Lab, and she tells me about her own family, and the salon she volunteers in. Turns out her mom and her older sister both work for the family's construction business, and she's the odd duck of the family which I thought was pretty interesting.

Not long later though, we're back upstairs and sat with the others. Haru is gazing darkly into his water bottle and ignoring the rest of us, but most of the others seem to be in higher spirits. The others have came up from the kitchen and served out plenty of food, to the point we actually end up having leftovers.

Just as we're getting ready to head out into the Entrance Hall, Kimi and Mitsu enter through the large double doors. The two of them look fairly irritated – its actually pretty tricky to tell which of them is angrier – and I wonder whether they've got into an argument, but before anyone can ask, Mitsu grabs a slice of cold toast from the table, bites down on it, and lets out a frustrated groan.

"Are we sure we can't just kill that idiot?" Kimi snaps, throwing herself down in the seat beside Mitsu. There are a couple of blank stares, and she looks back at us and sighs loudly. "I'm obviously not being serious."

"Um... what's going on?" I ask. Mitsu gives me a weirdly intense look for a second, but then seems to regain her composure.

"Masashi," she says, shortly. "We bumped into him just outside the Common Room."

"And the arrogant pig _demanded_ we brought him up to date on what was happening," Kimi adds.

"Though he barely hung around long enough to actually listen," Mitsu says. "He started the whole 'you're all idiots' thing, and marched away. He was just leaving through the front door when we came downstairs."

"He must've been a real ass to get you both this stressed out," Kaori says with a shrug. "Don't let him bother you – he's just one of those smart assholes with a god complex."

"We told him to wait because it'd be safer if we all headed out together," Mitsu replies, "so he's went off ahead by himself, of course."

"What a dick," Ino mutters under her breath.

"Oh, but that's one good thing to come of this then, huh?" Arata says, wide-eyed and excited. "If he's went off outside then that's gotta mean the snowstorm's definitely stopped, right?"

"Ah, hey, that's right!" Miniro agrees.

"Well, if everyone's ready," Yamato says, pushing himself out of his chair, "how about we get a move on?"

"What about our stuff upstairs?" Yuki asks, bouncing from foot to foot. Yamato shrugs.

"I've only got a couple spare hoodies and some uniform stuff up there," I shrug. "Nothing I don't have at home."

"Yeah, I'm pretty much the same," Kaori agrees.

"Anyone urgently wanna go back for some stuff?" Mitsu asks.

"Ordinarily, I would say yes," Kimi replies, "but I've been left with my most basic make-up supplies."

"And no doubt we'll get all our stuff back when the authorities search this place," Blessing says, before adding in a less than enthusiastic afterthought, "At least... I hope we do."

"Okay then, let's get a move on!" Arata beams, cheerfully, leaping to his feet. Haru's the first to walk away, as quiet and aloof as he's been since we met. We follow after him in a kind of excited hush, ready to just get out of this weird place.

Out of the open double doors and across the Entrance Hall, we follow him and then hang back as Miniro takes centre-stage and wrenches both of the heavy main doors open, and we step out back into the real world again – with Monokuma's killing game over before it's even begun!

Well, that's what I'd love to say is what happened, but things are never quite that easy, are they?

We've stepped out into a snow-covered courtyard. The snow is about six inches thick, and I can feel the numbness starting in my feet almost straight away. There's a trail of footprints – no doubt left by Masashi – leading from the front door out past a frozen-over water sculpture and out onto a rickety-looking covered bridge.

The air is cold – obviously – and kind of catches in my throat as I slowly make my way through the snow. Miniro's pulled the castle doors closed behind us, and we're moving as a sort of huddled group now – Haru included. Whether it's for convenience or just for a spare bit of body heat, I don't know. It briefly crosses my mind that I feel pretty bad for the girls who have skirts on in this. Even in jeans the cold is biting.

Nobody's talking now – it's kind of like the cold's stole our voices. Our breath comes out in streams of vapour, disappearing into the empty sky above our heads. I glance up at one point, and find myself kind of taken aback at just how high the castle is from here. Up this close, it's actually impossible to see how far the building extends with the low-hanging mist eating up the dark flagstone castle exterior. I can just make out the Hope's Peak crest displayed in black steel laid into the masonry way above us like a dark omen – like Monokuma's jagged eye gazing down on us.

I try and shake that from my head, and we've reached the end of the courtyard now. It's almost a relief to hear the faint creak of our boots on the wooden surface of the covered bridge as we make our way across, but just as the sensation of the snow clinging to my ankles starts to pass, we're back out on the far side of the bridge and back out into six inches of snow.

We're in a large enclosed courtyard with an enormous hedge surrounding it, with five tall wooden gates that appear to lead off in different directions. There's a huge bandstand in the middle, with a Monokuma statue propped up in the centre of it, and we're quick to navigate around it to check the gates. Each of them is marked with a small engraved nameplate, like the doors in the dormitories, but there's chains wrapped round all but one of the handles...

The only door available to us is marked: _Viaduct/Cable Car Station_. Masashi's footprints disappear off through the gate, and we exchange looks with one another as Mitsu steps forward and lets the gate swing open with a faint whine of protest. Then, we all fall into single-file as we make our way through a short passageway.

The other side is difficult to really describe – it's like something from a movie. We're on an enormous outcrop – like a cloister, that leads onto the viaduct. It's impossible to even see the far side from here, as the mist's just so thick. But if it's where I think it is, we're nearly there now – we're so close!

We're trudging across the eerily quiet viaduct. The world is still and silent – I feel like I'm in a painting. But we're still fighting our way through, and the mist is surrounding us now. It's like walking through a cloud...

"Hey," Yuki hisses from behind me in quiet excitement, "I see the gates!"

I squint a little and try to see, but I can't quite make anything out yet... oh, wait, no! There it is!

The gates are exactly as I remember them – tall and ominous, curled black iron like lethal thorns separating what now feels like two completely different worlds... Monokuma statues stand guard at either side of the gates on this side, and I can just make out that one gate has been left ajar by Masashi, going by the trail of footprints.

There's a ripple of uneasiness that hangs in the air as we make our way through the gate in single-file, and for a moment I genuinely believe that we're free and it's all over and we can just go home.

And then we hear the shouting.

Before I even realise it, I'm rushing forwards, my feet slapping down on the stones of the plaza on the other side of the gates. The shouting is primal and intense, coming from inside the cable car station. The door isn't completely shut, and it screeches in protest as I fling it open, bursting into the room.

Masashi is going crazy – lashing out at one of the control panels with a fire extinguisher. He's shouting and screaming, flecks of spittle flying from his mouth as he raises the extinguisher over his head and caves it into a monitor.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shout, and he snaps round to me like something from a horror film, already raising the fire extinguisher over his head again. For a second, I genuinely think he's gonna try to hit me, and I try to take a step back, only to trod on Daisuke's foot. The others manage to hold us up before we fall, but Masashi just turns away and hammers the fire extinguisher into the control panel again.

"Are you all fucking blind?!" he screams, seeming to slump a little. The extinguisher falls from his hand with a dull clunk as it rattles off the floor, and there's a faint crack as a small shower of sparks shoots from the console. He throws an arm up in frustration, gesturing the room. "Open your eyes!"

I hadn't noticed at first – too distracted by Masashi's rage – but I can see what he's talking about now, though I can barely believe it.

"Where's the..." Arata trails off. Out of the corner of my eye I can just make out his look of horror. If I'm honest, I feel the exact same.

Because there's no cable. There's no car. And there's no railings. In fact, there's barely any platform left. The metal's broken and torn up – like some huge monster's came and taken a massive bite out of the side of the station, and now I realise why Masashi's reacting how he is.

Because Monokuma was right. And I think deep down we all knew he had been right. We were trapped here now. We were all trapped here together. And if Monokuma was telling the truth about that, then... he had to be telling the truth about... about...

"Oh god, it's all real," gasps Kaori.

"N-n-no, this has to be some sort of trick," says Daisuke, rather unconvincingly. Suddenly, we're all talking in a panic – frantic cries and yells of shock erupt. Masashi has slumped over the broken control bank, and I can hear – but can't see – someone crying. I'm trying to rack my brain for something – anything – to make sense, but nothing's coming. Nothing at all. And then the laughter starts.

Monokuma's cackling laugh reverberates around the confined room, moments before he even makes his appearance. He's suddenly sitting right on the edge of the twisted metal flooring, his paws dangling over the edge.

"You kids really don't get it, do you?" he giggles. "I was straight out honest with you – you can't say I wasn't. I told you you were here forever unless you _play the fucking game!_ " He hops up from the edge and waggles a paw at us, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Take a fucking hint, kids. Please? I mean, it's early days, I know, but we'll get along great if you just take some initiative, right?"

"Why the hell are you doing this to us?" Ayaka demands. "This is just sick."

"Jeez, you kids are all the same these days," Monokuma groans, turning his back on us again. "Seriously, if I hadn't invested so much time in all this I'd just give a couple of you a push off this big ass platform right now. Hm..."

He seems to fall deep into thought now.

"Come on, let's head back," sighs Yamato. "I'm not freezing my ass off out here over this."

"I _said_ 'Hm...'," Monokuma informs us. "I'm not done with any of you yet. I've gave myself a pretty snazzy idea." He makes a pushing motion. "Talking about pushing you kids to your death kinda gave me a eureka moment. I'm gonna _push_ you kids to your deaths – just not so literally! Oh, I'm a handsome genius!" He starts to ramble. "I'm stunning and intelligent and awe-inspiring and huggably soft and-"

"He's just... complimenting himself," Fumio frowns, nervously fidgeting with his goggles.

"Can... can we go yet?" Blessing asks, quietly.

"Oh, god, are you bastards still here?!" Monokuma snaps. "Jeez, you'd think an Actress would take a cue to leave, huh? Aw, whatever, whatever, I'm a beary busy guy – get back to the castle, or feel free to explore the grounds – I've got work to do!"

And without another word he disappears out of sight, leaving us there in stunned silence. Wind whistles through the open space before us, throwing a flurry of light snow over us. After a few moments, unable to think of anything else to say or do, I hear some of the others turning and trudging back out across the plateau.

I wrap my arms around myself as I fight a shiver. Masashi is still leaning over the destroyed console, his head bowed.

"Come on, Masashi," Arata says, walking around me and taking a few cautious steps towards the Chessmaster. Masashi doesn't reply, or move, or give any sort of indication he's heard him, and Arata tries again. "There's no point staying out here – let's go back to the castle for now."

He's right beside him now, and I feel myself tense up as he reaches a hand out to touch Masashi's shoulder. For a second, I worry Masashi's going to swing round and punch him, but instead, he just turns on the spot and strides past Arata, nudging his outstretched hand aside. He shoots me a venomous glare as he passes me, and a moment later he's gone – heading off back towards the Gates after the others.

It's just Arata and I left now, and he gives me a kind of half-hearted smile and shrugs.

"I guess we should head back," he says.

"I guess," I reply, and without another word, we leave the devastated cable car station side-by-side.

The mood in the castle is tense, to say the least. Despite several hours having passed since our encounter with Monokuma in the cable car station, nobody's really talking with one another. A lot of the others have fled off to their dorm rooms to avoid any difficult conversations, and I've decided to seek refuge in my Talent Lab, where I've been absentmindedly polishing one of the big drinks machines.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that I don't hear the door opening, and I jump when I hear my name called out.

Mitsu's standing there with her arms folded, with a kind of expectant expression. She's joined by Cho, Yuki, Miniro, and Daisuke.

"Oh, pretty nice place ya got here!" Cho nods, throwing herself into one of the bar stools. "Got anything to eat in here?"

"Nah, sorry, it's all just drinks in here," I say. "Um, what's up anyways?"

"We're going to explore the grounds," Mitsu explains. "The snow's eased off again so it shouldn't be as much hassle as it would have been earlier."

"Have the others went ahead?" I ask.

"Afraid not," sighs Miniro with a shake of his head. "They're either still locked up in their rooms, or just want to be left alone. Even Yamato and Arata said they'd rather just stay in the warm."

"But, yeah, we came to see if you wanted to join us," Yuki pipes up. "We tried your room but once we didn't get any answer Mitsu suggested we check it out up here!"

"So, would you like to come with us?" Daisuke asks, offering me one of his wobbly smiles.

"It's better than sitting in here doing nothing," I nod. "Sure – let's go!"

Now that I'm really taking the time to look around the grounds, I can kind of start to appreciate how pretty they are. Our search starts off at the Courtyard with the big bandstand, and we take a few minutes to look everything over in case some miracle can get us out of here. Unfortunately for us, nothing crops up, and we're left pondering over the gates that lead off in different directions.

We pretty quickly decide just to ignore the gate that leads back to the viaduct and the cable car station, and also quickly discover that only two other gates are currently unlocked: for _Maze_ and _Amphitheatre_ , specifically. One of the locked gates apparently leads off to _Greenhouses_ , while the other is just marked with Monokuma's jagged eye motif.

We decide just to check out the Amphitheatre first, and Cho leaps for the handle, quick to throw her hands up in a defensive stance as we make our way along the narrow passageway beyond.

The passage opens up to an enclosed stone plaza, in front of an enormous semi-circular building with an enormous canopy over it. There's a big set of wooden doors ahead of us, leading into the building, with an enormous board that was displaying names of movies – most of which I'd never actually heard of.

Mitsu leads the way, and she seems to nod appreciatively at the architecture as we pass through the double doors, bringing us out at the base of the theatre in front of the stage.

The main foundation of the building is flagstone, like the castle, but the rows and rows of seats that slope upwards and away from us are made of black wood. The stage appears to be built of the same wood too, which makes it stand out pretty nicely against the grey of the walls and the white-grey of the canopy that stretches up as a make-shift roof, managing to protect us from the elements outside. The canopy's held up by what looks like metal ribs, kind of like an accordion or something, and I figure the roof must have some controls that allow people to open or close it, like you get at some of the big sports arenas.

There are large metal tubes set up at various intervals along the stands, and as I get closer I realise they're actually outdoor heaters, with little switches at the base of them. Out of curiosity, I switch one on, and then find myself fighting the urge to touch the heated metal as a blast of warm air pulses out at me.

"Holy shit," I murmur to myself, holding my hands as close to the heater as I can without burning myself. "Guys, you gotta try this!"

And barely seconds later, Cho, Yuki, and Daisuke have huddled around the heater with me. Miniro's standing a little further away, apparently unfazed by the cold, though he eventually moves closer to calm Daisuke's protests. Mitsu's still doing her own thing, by the looks of it. She's climbed up on stage now and seems to be prodding and lifting what looks like random stage props and lighting rigs and stuff. All of a sudden, I hear her give out a disgusted groan, and we rush down to the stage to join her as Monokuma emerges from behind a curtain.

"Hey, hey, _hey_! Is that any way to react to your favourite headmaster?" he chastises. "After all, I'm here to put the 'pal' in 'high school princi-pal'!" Awkward silence... "Jeez, I'm wasted on you kids." He shakes his head and then perks up again. "Anyway, that's besides the point. Welcome to the Monokuma Amphitheatre: an institute of culture and art! I totally forgot to tell everyone earlier, but here's the place to go if you wanna watch any of a _huuuuge_ selection of TV shows and movies! We've got everything you want, from _Circle_ , to _Saw_ , to _How To Get Away With Murder_ , to _The Wizard of Monomi_ , to our very own Ultimate Actress' _Blood Harvest_!"

"The Wizard of... what?" I frown. Monokuma ignores me.

"Anyways, this place is available to you all day, though I gotta tell you, it _does_ close at midnight. Because too much TV is bad for ya, y'know? But whatever, that's enough from me for now. I'll take my curtain call. My final _adieu,_ if you will. My last bow!"

And with a huge, flourished bow, he bounces off out of sight again, as quickly as he appeared.

"Does... anyone else find it difficult to keep up whenever he appears?" Cho asks.

We all nod, and I suppress yet another sigh. "I think the less I see of him til help turns up, the happier I'll be."

After we finish checking out the Amphitheatre, we head back through the Courtyard with the bandstand and then pass through the gate that promises a Maze.

The far end of the passageway opens up into a small clearing, maybe about the size of a bedroom. The ground is invisible under snow, but I think I can see blades of long grass struggling to fight through the blanket of whiteness. There's not really anything of interest here, except the arched entrance of what can only be a hedge maze, guarded at either side by yet more Monokuma statues.

"Do we... do we go in?" Daisuke stammers. "I don't want to get lost."

"You won't get lost," Miniro tells him. "If we go in, we'll all stick together. It'd be too dangerous to split up in a place like that – there's no telling just how long it goes on for."

"Hey, d'you think there's a way out in there?!" Yuki cries. "That'd be just the kinda place you'd keep a secret way out, right?"

"I doubt we'd be that lucky," I sigh, "oh, but couldn't we check how big the maze is on our ID maps?"

"Way ahead of you," Mitsu says, holding hers up. "It looks like there's no actual map for inside the maze. It's just marked as empty space on the map." She looks deep in thought for a moment. "Oh, well – I can draw a map as we go, I suppose. And we'll have our own footprints to guide us some of the way back."

"So we're definitely going in?" I ask her. I don't really relish the idea if I'm honest. I got lost in a hedge maze at some theme park I'd went to once and that place was _way_ less creepy than the Silent Hill Garden Society reject I was being faced with right now.

"We might find something important," Mitsu insists. "Aren't you just the tiniest bit interested what we might find in there?"

"I... um..."

My brain's went blank. There's something about the intensity of her stare that freaks me out.

"Exactly," she replies, apparently plucking an answer from thin air. She turns her back on me and confidently strides off towards the entrance to the maze.

"She's a feisty one, huh?" Cho says with a look of admiration as we follow after her.

"If that's what you wanna call it," I chuckle.

We've been in here for at least two hours, I realise at one point. We've followed pretty much every branch of the maze from the very furthest outer edges, in towards the middle. So far, we've found nothing but dead ends and more stupid Monokuma statues. There's even cameras set up fairly regularly, and I find myself wondering how expensive Monokuma's electricity bill must be. And then I tell myself to get a grip, because I'm not falling into some Stockholm Syndrome trap after two days of being stuck in this place.

We've retracted our footprints a few times now, and I'm starting to get pretty tired. The cold was just about bearable to start with, but after a few hours my feet are starting to dully ache from the chilly ground.

Finally, Miniro stops and points to a gap in the hedge to his right. "The centre of the maze is just over there by the looks of it."

"Well, I can't see there being anything else useful hidden around these other few corners," Mitsu sighs, "and I've managed a pretty thorough map from the amount of distance we've walked, so we're probably as well checking the centre out and then heading back to the castle."

We all agree and turn to follow after Miniro. The hedges here aren't laid in straight lines now, instead they're forming a large circle, though the gaps and curves obscure our view of the dead centre. We turn the last couple of corners and...

"Is this it?!" Cho groans in disappointment. I feel myself agreeing with her. It's a tall marble Monokuma water feature in the dead centre of the little patch of grass. The Monokuma fountain is perched like one of those cherubs with one leg raised up and arms... or paws held out. Its head is held up, spouting water from it despite the cold. Besides that, there's two intricately carved silver benches next to each other with a view of the fountain.

"You've got to be kidding me," I say. "You mean after all that there was nothing here at all?"

" _Rude!_ "

Monokuma seems to barrel out from one of the hedges, and land right in front of us. He shakes his head in mock disappointment.

"Y'know, you kids are just so ungrateful. I give you a life-long home – in a freakin' castle no less – and I give you other things to keep you entertained and occupied, and _this_ is the thanks I get? Well, we'll see just how quick your mouths run once I'm through with my little announcement."

"Announcement?" Yuki echoes. Monokuma cocks his head to the side like a curious child and then straightens up again in a flash.

"That's right! I totally forgot my announcement! Catch you bastards on the flip side!"

And he dives headfirst back into the hedge and disappears again.

"I swear that thing can teleport," Cho murmurs.

There isn't time to mull over this thought though, as a moment later the harbinger of a Monokuma announcement – the clang of bells – dully rings out across the grounds. There's a monitor on the far side of the little centre clearing, in between the two benches, and we grudgingly draw closer to find out what awaits us.

" _So, I know we have our differences, and we have wildly different opinions on you all killing each other,_ " Monokuma says in fake melancholy, " _but I've decided I want to do something extra nice and exciting for you all! Please all gather in the Entrance Hall for your surprise! And remember, if you're tardy to the party, that's a foul. And just think what foul things could happen to you because of_ that _!_ "

He ends the message with one of his cackles, and the screen cuts off again. We exchange uneasy looks.

"This is just one thing after another, isn't it?"

"Seems like it," Mitsu says, turning on her heel. "Come on, we better not test the limits of his patience quite yet."

Following Mitsu's map guides us back to the entrance of the maze in just about fifteen minutes with us walking at a pretty fast pace.

We rush across the covered bridge and back through the Entrance Courtyard, spilling in the main doors one-by-one.

Miniro heaves the doors closed behind us, and we turn to find the others have already assembled.

"Where were you guys?" asks Yamato, arms folded. "Did you get lost?"

"We were checking out the grounds. There's a big outdoor theatre kinda place and a huge hedge maze," Yuki quickly replies.

"Ahem, if you're quite finished."

Monokuma's suddenly back up above us on the edge of the North Wing balcony. There's something pretty big behind him, covered with a blue tarp. I can't really make a guess what it's meant to be, but whatever it is seems to be huge and circular.

"So, I was thinking to myself," he says, nonchalantly, "what do kids these days really need? You all have your movies and video games and self-esteem issues, but what is it about them that's so special? And then it hit me! You need to be distracted! And so, here's a big distraction!"

He waddles around to the side of the tarp-covered object and rips it off in a flourish. The tarp flies over his head and falls down to the Entrance Hall floor like a giant blue bat crashing to the ground. The object that had been covered was...

"Is that... a lottery wheel?" Arata asks, raising an eyebrow.

"It _sure_ is!" Monokuma cheers. "I knew you'd love it! You love it, don't ya, I can tell!"

The wheel is huge – probably about eight feet high and eight feet wide. Half of it is white, while the other half – clearly intended to match Monokuma's colour palette – was black. Each half is split into segments, each labelled with letters, numbers, and symbols that don't provide much context.

There's a yen symbol on a few of them, though no amount listed, then there's a couple of question marks, then four that are marked with a swirling arrow symbol, then a couple with two squiggly arrows pointing in separate directions, a couple marked with key symbols, and then one that just said, '+1'.

"What does all that crap mean?" Haru asks. His brow is furrowed and he seems to look more angry than confused. I'm more in the confused side of things if I'm honest, though there's a pit in my stomach – almost like I'm expecting what Monokuma says next.

"It's a motive, Ginger Snap!" he cries, throwing his paws wide. "C'mon, I thought you kids were meant to be smart, dammit! You could at least pretend you get it til it's explained to you – ever heard of a little thing called _manners_?!" He clambers back up onto the balcony edge again and sighs. "Never mind, I guess I can't expect any of you to be anywhere near as smart as I am. It's a curse, really. But, anyway, I guess I need to explain. Someone needs to kill someone to leave here, you know that much, right?"

No one bothers to reply. Monokuma waves a paw, dismissively, and continues.

"But I got to thinking, maybe freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. I mean, some of you kids have serious issues – no offence – but here's where the wheel of fort- wait, is that copyright? I think that's copyright. Um, here's where the... Monowheel of... Hope and Despair comes in! If one of you kids does me a solid and kills another shmuck, I'll be _super_ grateful. And as a reward, I'll let you spin the Monowheel, and you'll reap a whole bunch of snazzy benefits – probably."

"You're seriously offering us money to commit murder?" Kimi snorts. "I'd be offended if I weren't so over this already."

"Kimi's right!" Arata says. "Well, kind of, I guess? It's stupid to think any of us would be greedy or self-centered enough to kill for the sake of _maybe_ winning some cash."

"Says the Ultimate Lucky Student," Ino mutters from the back of the group. No-one responds to her.

"Hm, well, if you all have that much faith in each other then that's your own graves you're digging," Monokuma shrugs. "Personally, I just can't wait to see which of you bastards succumbs to your own terribly outdated human nature. To whoever dies, can I just offer one word of advice? Try and get reincarnated as a bear – it's _way_ more fun!"

And with that, he disappears again, leaving us with the Monowheel.

"You don't really think anyone would take him seriously, do you?" Daisuke asks me. I give him what I hope is a confident shake of the head.

"We'll get out of this together," I tell him. "I'm certain nobody would betray us like that."

"And what makes you so certain of that?" Haru asks, not bothering to turn round to look at me. He's still gazing up at the Monowheel kind of intensely. "We're all still technically strangers, despite what any of us might tell ourselves."

"It seems I find myself agreeing with you once again," Masashi says. "We can try and pacify one another with promises of comrades and friends, but really what does that come down to when one of us could secretly be plotting to plunge a knife into someone's back as soon as the opportunity arises?"

"Well, you can think what you want," I say, "and I'm not gonna argue with you over it. But for now, I choose to see the best in everyone."

"That's a nice way to make yourself a victim," Masashi replies. "But on your own head be it, I guess. I'd much rather it was you than me."

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Blessing gasps. "Masashi, you can't say things like that!"

"And yet I have," Masashi says, drily. He gives her a disinterested look and then shrugs. "Don't act like I'm being unreasonable – I'm just being realistic."

"Well, I'm with Kei on this one," Miniro announces. "I refuse to believe that any of us would give in to Monokuma's games."

"Yeah, screw that," Yamato agrees. "Give it a few days and there'll probably be someone sent out to rescue us anyways. They'll have noticed by now that this place is in radio silence or whatever."

"Hey, that's right!" nods Kaori. "Sorry, 'Sashi, but looks like the logic's against ya on this one!"

"My name is Masashi," he snaps. "And that's fine. I'm not asking for any sort of agreement. Haru may not remember his talent but at least he remembers what common fucking sense is. Just remember: don't come expecting me to help when one of you winds up dead."

And with his words still hanging in the air, he storms off towards the dormitories.

Despite what Haru had said before, he still joined us for dinner. Well, in the sense that he was in the same room as us – but much like this morning, he had decided to sort his own food and drink out and now he sat a few chairs away from the rest of us, silently eating some rice.

Nobody really wanted to talk about Masashi's outbursts, or the Monowheel, or the implications either might have for us. Instead, we pretty much managed some quiet chatter about food and some half-hearted theories on when rescue would be coming.

After dinner was over, we all parted ways, and I returned back to my Talent Lab for a couple of hours. I half-expected someone to turn up at some point, but no such luck. I even ended up just lying on the counter on my back, gazing up at the ceiling. I was doing this when:

 _Ding dong, ding doooong!_

" _Ahem, if I could have your attention, please! The time is now 10pm, and Night-time is now in effect. The Kitchens are now off limits and the doors will be closed momentarily. And with that, I wish you all good night. Sweet dreams!_ "

I pushed myself off the counter and made my way out of the room, back towards the dormitories, hoping that the morning might bring a new perspective on things.

A guy can dream, right?

 **16 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	4. Chapter 01: Dead on Arrival (III)

The next few days crawl in, agonizingly, and passing the Monowheel on the way to and from the Dormitories is kind of a constant reminder of just how messed up our situation is. I don't want to think badly of the others, but it's difficult to ignore Haru and Masashi's obvious distrust of us all. I'm trying to stick to my word and see the best in everyone, so after I've got up and had breakfast, I decide to go find someone to hang out with.

* * *

I bump into Kaori in the Entrance Hall just after breakfast, and she greets me with a cheerful grin.

"Hey, Kei! How are ya?! I'm just off down to check out the Cable Car Station again – see if I can get anything working. Wanna come with?"

So I decide to spend some time with Kaori down at the Cable Car Station. She's looking over the remains of the consoles after Masashi's frenzied fire-extinguisher assault. There isn't much for me to do except watch her inspect each bank of machines and shake her head, but it still feels like we've got a little closer.

After a while, she gives a sigh of defeat and stands up from the last console. She puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head once more.

"Well, this is royally fucked! Don't think I'm gonna be able to do anything with any of this." She turns to me with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, how are you at making hot chocolate?"

And next thing I know she's linked arms with me and she's marching me back up to the Castle. I show her the way to my Talent Lab at the far-end of the East Wing, and she whistles her appreciation as we enter the kitschy cafe.

"Love the décor!" she nods, taking a seat at the bar. "Your place back in the real world like this?"

I chuckle. "Nah, my place is a little more traditional. Open windows and tables – no booths or latest model machines I'm afraid."

"Ooh, ya gotta let me take a look at your wiring when we get out of here. I'm a dab hand, y'know!"

I roll up my sleeves and set up a mug for her. "Hey, that's right – so what got you into electrics and stuff anyway? Is it like a family business?"

She shakes her head and pushes a strand of her long brown hair away from her face. "Nah, no family to speak of, really – I'm self-taught!" Her eyes seem to light up a little, I notice, glancing up from a small drawer under the counter. "It started off just dumb fiddling when I was a kid, but next thing I was pulling things apart and making them into something totally different! It was like doing a big 3D jigsaw – but I knew where all the pieces went on my first try. It all just kinda went from there!"

"That's pretty amazing, Kaori! I'm not too good with that sort of thing myself, really. I can use the machinery but don't ask me how it's all wired together," I say, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. It feels kind of dumb admitting that to someone as smart as her.

She doesn't seem to think it's dumb though, and she flashes me a grin. "I'll show ya sometime, once we're out of this place! But for now, what's the status on the hot chocolate?"

"Right here," I smile, presenting the steaming mug to her. "Oh, in fact – wait a sec – I think I saw some mini marshmallows in the back room – two secs."

It only takes me a couple of seconds to find the bag of pink and white marshmallows, but when I come back through to the bar, Kaori seems to be in a world of her own, gazing wistfully into her mug.

"Hey, Kaori, are you alright?" I ask, opening the bag. I lean over the counter and hold the bag out to her. She looks up at me, kind of startled, and her eyes widen a little, but then she nods.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, don't mind me!" she says, plucking a few marshmallows out of the bag. I notice she only picks the pink ones. "I'm just thinking about this kid I know – back home. Talking about how I got started kind of reminded me of him – he's sort of my apprentice, I guess you'd call him."

"An apprentice?" I echo. "That's pretty cool! With an Ultimate as his tutor he's gonna be pretty impressive someday, right?"

She smiles proudly. "He's already pretty incredible – if he keeps it up I might not be the Ultimate Electrician for much longer, y'know!"

I stand back from the counter and start tidying up the supplies I'd used. "Letting the student become the master, huh? That sounds pretty cool!"

"Hey, now you say it, that'd make a pretty cool legacy!" she says. She takes a long drink and then sighs, happily. "This is amazing, by the way. So how about you? D'you have like a trainee barista or whatever?"

I shake my head. "Nah, it's just me and mom and a couple of other temp staff – it'd be cool to have someone to teach like that though!"

She flashes me a wicked grin. "Hey, maybe you should ask Masashi to be your student. The heat from the coffee machine might thaw his grumpy ass face."

I try not to laugh, but I can't help it. And next thing I know I'm sat on the other side of the counter with her, laughing and joking. Once she's finished her hot chocolate, she thanks me and then we walk back to the Dormitories, and go back to our rooms.

It was pretty interesting getting to spend some time with Kaori – she's pretty good-humoured, and she seems to be a pretty optimistic person. I'd definitely like to spend some time with her again soon!

* * *

After going down for lunch, I end up going for a walk about. I don't really have a destination in mind, but I end up on the cloisters in the North Wing, up near the tower containing Ino's Talent Lab. The afternoon sky is fairly clear above, though of course it's still pretty cold.

I'm so busy looking skyward, I nearly walk straight into Haru, who's leaning lazily against the wall. He looks up at me with mild disinterest as I slide to a halt beside him.

"Oh, it's you," he sighs. "Are you lost?"

"Nah, I was just out for some fresh air," I tell him. "Sorry, by the way..."

"For what?"

"For nearly walking into you."

"Oh, okay."

He makes no attempt to say anything else, but he doesn't take his eyes off me – it's kind of intense... I kind of want to just keep walking, but I don't want to be rude, so instead, I turn a little and lean against the wall beside him. Now's as good a time as any to try and assure him we're all on the same side.

"So you're braving it outside your room now, huh?" I ask. He looks away from me now, gazing out into the distance again.

"Looks like it."

"Um, look, I don't want to force you to talk to me if you don't want to," I tell him, "but if we're gonna be here for a while, I feel like things'll be easier if we all make an effort."

He doesn't say anything for a while, but then he straightens up and steps back from the cool, stone wall, sliding his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"It's cold," he says, giving me that intense orange-eyed gaze again. "I'm gonna head back in. Are you coming?"

I know he couldn't care less if I followed or not, but I find myself kind of awkwardly walking down with him back to the empty Common Room. The fire in the grate was crackling welcomingly, and we sat on the chairs closest to the fire. I held my hands out a little for some extra heat, but he kept his hands jammed firmly in his pockets. Despite his aloof nature, I could sense his uneasiness.

After a few minutes of silence, he glances over to me. "So, you're really set on this whole buddy-buddy shtick, huh?"

"Buddy-buddy shtick?" I reply. "What d'you mean?"

He rolls his eyes. "Do you act naive on purpose?"

"Nah, I guess I'm just naturally stupid," I shrug. Surprisingly, he laughs at this! It's a clear, light-hearted laugh – completely at odds with the Haru I've come to know so far.

"I guess you must be," he says. He's stopped laughing now but a tiny smile plays on his lips.

"So, I guess going by what you're saying you haven't spoke to any of the others yet?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, and I still think you're being stupid." He looks away from me, gazing at the fire now. "Going off with people by yourselves and trusting they're all gonna have good intentions. I could've thrown you off the wall outside."

I shrug.

"And I could push you in the fireplace," I say. I notice he actually winces at this. "But I wouldn't. And I don't think you would either."

"You're very trusting," he says. The smile's completely gone now.

"I'm very naive, apparently," I say, drily.

His eyebrows raise, but the ghost of a smile returns for a moment. "Heh, seems like it." He gives me one more weird look, as if he's finding it difficult to quite see me. "Look, I'm gonna go. I gotta think. See you around."

And without another word, the mysterious boy rises from his seat and strides off towards the stairs to the Dormitories. I don't know what to make of Haru at all... and I'm no closer to knowing anything else about him. Maybe now we've talked he might be more likely to open up a little at some point...

* * *

I end up sitting by myself by the fire for a while. It's fairly peaceful, and I find myself day-dreaming a little – imagining a helicopter appearing any minute now and the police rushing in to rescue us all. It's only when I hear the door from the landing swing open I snap out of it and look up to see Mitsu.

She doesn't seem to notice I'm there at first – she's too occupied with swooping along the bookshelves and crouching down to peer under tables and chairs. It's only when she gets closer to my side of the room she looks up at me and blinks at me, looking a little confused.

I guess I'm probably mirroring her expression.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

She nods, but then she purses her lips and sighs,"Hm, I still haven't been able to find any of my notebooks."

I volunteer to help her look around the Common Room and she accepts. We spend the next half hour pulling out the books from the shelves in hope that a notebook might have been crammed in behind them, with no such luck. Finally, Mitsu groans in frustration and shakes her head at me.

"Oh, well, I guess it can't be helped," she says, sadly. "It's nearly time for dinner anyway. Shall we head down to the Hall?"

I agree, and we make our way through the doorway out onto the North Wing landing. I hadn't realised it but it was snowing heavily again – all piling up against the enormous windows that gave us a view into nothingness.

I hadn't even realised it at first, but Mitsu and I had stopped walking. We just stood, side-by-side, gazing out of the window, like the white-grey expanse beyond the glass was suddenly all that mattered...

"This is our fourth day here now," I say, quietly. "But it feels like so much longer."

Mitsu steps around me so she can stand closer to the window. Her breath mists against the glass as she replies, "Maybe for you."

"I- I guess you're probably used to having to wait ages for stuff to happen," I stammer, suddenly feeling the need to be careful with my words. "Waiting for the right events to report on."

She nods. I can just make out her serious expression in the reflection of the glass. "It can be time-consuming. When I'm not writing down my own observations, I'm usually trying to get other people's perspectives, or research more information to make sure my articles are as honest and true as possible."

I take a step so I'm beside her at the window, and gaze out again. It's bleak, but it's calming just to look out into the emptiness – nothing to see but the darker flecks of falling snow.

"Is there any sort of specific thing you're into writing about?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"Not particularly, no. I go wherever there's a story. It's how I've always done things, really. I've just always had a knack at getting into the fine details of things. It makes things pretty handy for my particular field of journalism."

"Particular field? Oh, you mean like investigative journalism?"

"That's right," she nods. "Ever since I was a toddler I've always been able to find out when something interesting is happening. It didn't win me many friends in my old school, really. I don't think people liked that I always seemed to know their business."

I notice she's smiling at this, and I find myself smiling a little too. "Oh, so when you say something interesting, you mean like... anything?" I ask.

"Well, not necessarily," she says. "It's kind of like... I can filter stuff out in my mind. I sort of absorb information and process what's interesting and important, or what's not, and go from there."

My brows raise. "You... make it sound like you're some sort of computer," I say, impressed.

"I don't know if that's particularly what I meant, but I suppose it's an apt comparison," she shrugs.

"I suppose I wouldn't expect anything less from the Ultimate Journalist!" I laugh. "That's amazing."

"I – um, thank you, I suppose," she says. "Shall we get going?"

I nod, and we turn away from the window, back off in the direction of the stairs. It's only as we get down to the Entrance Hall that I realise this might be the first time I've spoke to her where she hasn't written anything down in her notebook...

* * *

At dinner, it seems like everyone's in higher spirits. Even Ino's cracking a smile, having spent the afternoon with Kaori up in Ino's Talent Lab – which Kaori informs me basically just resembles a pretty fancy warehouse space, complete with workbenches, huge graphs and workspaces for making models. They'd been hard at work coming up with different concepts between both of their talents, which I thought was pretty cool.

We're all nearly finished eating when I notice Yuki prodding at Blessing's arm like she's trying to encourage her. This goes on for a few seconds before Blessing smiles and clears her throat. We all stop eating to give her our attention.

"Um, everyone, Yuki and I had an idea earlier on today and I wanted to run it by you all," she says with a smile. "Yuki told me all about the amphitheatre outside, and we went to check it out, and I was wondering whether it might be good fun as a group if we were to have some sort of film night?"

"Hey, that sounds great," Yamato nods.

"I'd be up for that," Miniro nods, leaning back in his chair with a big grin. "It's been a while since I've been to see a movie!"

"Well, if everyone's in agreement we were thinking we could do it tomorrow night," Blessing says. "Yuki says that the amphitheatre closes at midnight, so we could make food in the kitchens and bring it all out there early enough."

"And a couple of us could get the equipment all set up while the others are cooking," Kaori says brightly. "'Course, I'll set up the screen and stuff!"

"I suppose it could be a nice change of pace," Kimi says, though she doesn't bother to look up from inspecting her talon-like nails. "Won't it be cold though?"

"Nah, there's heaters out there!" Arata replies. "And there's some extra blankets in one of the cupboards upstairs, I'm sure. There's probably enough for everyone."

"And a few extra, most likely," Ino says. "Haven't you noticed we're missing our mystery guest?"

"I was sitting with him in the Common Room earlier," I tell her. "He said he needed to think and he went back to his room."

"We should jump by his room and check on him before bed," Mitsu says. "Masashi on the other hand."

"I don't think he's going to talk to anyone unless they're hiding a helicopter in their wardrobe," agrees Yamato. "Dude's a lost cause."

"Well then, it's settled!" Yuki cheers. "Hey, wait, is there popcorn anywhere?"

"Not that I've seen just yet, but I'll take a look when we're cleaning up," Ayaka says. Yuki cheers again and reaches over to hug her. Ayaka responds by seizing up and looking like she's been struck by lightning, even once Yuki lets go and returns to wolfing down her dinner.

By the time dinner is over, we have a plan of action decided. Early tomorrow afternoon, Blessing, Daisuke, and Ayaka are back on cooking duty, with Cho and Yamato assigned with being runners between the kitchen and the amphitheatre. Kaori, Fumio, Ino, Mitsu, and Yuki are going to go set up the equipment. Arata and Kimi are in charge of hunting out the blankets in the storage cupboards on the First Floor – though I get the feeling Kimi only agrees to this so she can ensure she gets the best one. This leaves Miniro and I on drink duty – which suits me, because I'm not so good at the heavy-lifting aspect, so I'm happy to have Miniro to help out!

* * *

With tomorrow's plans sorted, we call it a night, and return to our rooms for the night. I'm pretty excited at the prospect of doing something as a group – it should be a good chance for us to all get to know each other better! Except Masashi and Haru, I guess. Neither of them had even bothered answering their doors when we'd stopped by to check on them, and I find myself worrying that maybe my talk with Haru earlier today has upset him somehow. It's a shame though – I kind of hoped I was getting through to him...

But that's tomorrow's worries, I think as I roll over under my covers. I'm already half-asleep when the familiar chiming of Monokuma's Night-time Announcement rings out... It only stirs me for a second, but then I'm back to sleep, back to dreaming of safety, and rescue, and home...

* * *

I manage to sleep all the way through til morning, and Monokuma's Morning Announcement fills my ears as I sit up in bed.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

The monitor fizzles out again, thankfully, and I quickly jump in for a shower.

At breakfast, everyone seems to be in a good mood – we're all pretty excited for the evening ahead. It's nice to feel kind of at ease for once in this weird castle.

After breakfast is over, and all the used dishes have been sent down in the dumbwaiter, Arata and I are tasked with washing up duty with him washing, and me drying and putting away. It doesn't take us too long, thankfully, and not long later we're leaving the Kitchen.

We've just reached the far end of the Hall when Arata asks, "Hey, Kei! Did you have anything planned for now? I kinda wanted to ask you something!"

I shake my head. "Nah, I was actually gonna asked if you wanted to do something. What's up?"

He looks kind of embarrassed for a second, and he can't quite look at me. But he finally manages to find the words. "Okay, this might sound dumb but... could you show me how to make a milkshake?"

And so, I spend some time with Arata in my Talent Lab, showing him the big boxes of milkshake mix in the coolers, and how to fill up the machine behind the bar. He seems to really enjoy himself, and it definitely feels like we've got a little closer!

He bobs his head enthusiastically and gives me a big grin. "Thanks for showing me! Would it be cool if I tried making one?"

So I step back from the milkshake machine and let Arata have a go. He fetches a tall, clean glass from under the counter and holds it up under the nozzle. For a second, he glances up at me with uncertainty, but then he looks determined and turns back to the task at hand.

"I just have to be careful with the pressure, right?" he says, more to himself than to me, as he pulls on the small lever above the toffee milkshake marker. "Thank you again, by the way. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome! I quite like working with the different machines, and it's kind of cool getting to show someone else – I'm used to just doing it by myself. Kaori and I were talking about something similar yesterday, now I think about it!"

"I feel kind of guilty for enjoying this though," he says. "I mean like, being here at all, even though I never really got much opportunity to do anything, back where I'm from."

Where was it he said he was from again?

"Hey, yeah," I nod, leaning back against the bar. "I remember you saying on the first day something about your town just picking up on wi-fi or something, right?"

He lets go of the lever now, his glass full, and uses a paper towel to wipe down the nozzle of the machine. "That's right. We're kind of way out in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty much twenty houses, a school, and a couple of stores." He counts these off on his fingers before picking out a red-and-white striped straw from the holder beside him.

"I don't think I could cope with that, I have to admit," I frown. "I'm from Odaiba. I like the noise and the movement and stuff, y'know?"

"Yeah! I had to take a trip to visit some relatives through in Shibuya once – and that was like going to another planet," he tells me between sips. "Going from a place where there's only three other kids in your class to a place like that – it's that weird feeling, y'know?"

"Oh, you mean like culture shock?" I smile. "I think being here is the closest I've really felt to that in a long time. Have you ever thought about moving to a bigger town or a city or whatever?"

He suddenly looks guilty. "I've... I've thought about it, yeah. I don't really know if I could though. I mean, I was afraid enough about coming here – I have responsibilities at home, y'know? My dad's got an illness..."

"Jeez, I'm sorry – that sounds rough," I say. "And you have to look after him?"

He nods. "Well, me and my brother, Koji, yeah. Koji's a little older than me though, and when I got the invitation to come here he basically insisted I had to go. Still doesn't stop me feelin' kinda guilty, though, y'know?"

"You shouldn't feel guilty!" I tell him. "After all the stuff people said about Hope's Peak, I'd get why you chose to come here. Guaranteed success in your future – your brother probably thought the same thing."

"Yeah, he pretty much said that," Arata says with a small smile. "That's a life-changing thing, y'know? It could make things way easier for Koji and my dad."

He finishes his milkshake with a satisfied sigh. "Anyway, thanks again, Kei. I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit – I'll talk to you later! Oh, wait, I better clean up first."

"Don't worry, I'll get it," I smile. "And I'll see you later – I hope you're okay!"

He put the empty glass down in the small sink and gave me an affectionate grin. For a second, he seemed to waver on the spot, like he was going to change his mind and stay, but then he gave me a small wave and said his goodbyes, heading off back to the Dormitories.

I realise, as I'm cleaning up, just how out of our depth we all are here. Sixteen of us, all from different walks of life completely... I wonder if Arata feels it even more so, coming from such a sheltered life. It must be tough having to look after someone like that though. Thinking about it makes me miss my mom even more...

* * *

I still have a few hours to spare, and after grabbing some lunch I decide to head outside. The sun is just about peering through the cloudbank, and the rays of light fall down like spotlights over the distant mountains.

I'm sort of walking across the Courtyard in a daydream when I see Ayaka at the end of the covered bridge. It doesn't take me long to catch up with her – she's just gazing down at the emptiness of the valley below. She seems to be deep in thought at first glance, but she looks up as she hears me approach.

"Oh, Kei, good afternoon," she says. "Did you want something?"

"Hey," I smile, stopping beside her. "I was just out for a walk. What's up?"

"Oh, not much," she says. "I'm just thinking."

"Well, d'you want to come with me? I'm probably just gonna do a quick loop to the end of the viaduct and back."

She looks uneasy at first, and seems to run her gaze over me before she reaches an answer.

"Yes, that would be nice."

So I spend some time wandering about the grounds with Ayaka. We walk across the viaduct to see that the low-hanging mist has gone for now, thanks to the slight heat from the afternoon sun, and once we walk back again, the sun is just hitting the bandstand. It feels like we got a bit closer.

"Shall we take a seat in the sunlight before we head back?" she asks.

So we end up taking a seat on one of the cold iron benches that a band would sit on to perform. The sky above us is bright – white instead of grey, and despite the sunlight, snow is spiralling down on us lazily.

"It's pretty peaceful out here," I murmur. "You almost forget where we are. It reminds me of a park back home."

"I must admit, I was concerned when you first asked me to join you," Ayaka tells me. "I am... finding it difficult to trust everyone, but you... you seem harmless enough, Kei."

I find myself chuckling a little. "Um, thanks, I guess? I'm trying to get to know everyone better – it's why I think tonight should be pretty good."

Ayaka looks a little distressed. "I... I have never been very good with people, so I appreciate you making an effort as you have."

I turn to her. "Is that why you're a vet?" I ask. "I know a few people who prefer animals to people! My neighbour, Kōshirō, is definitely a cat person, y'know."

"Y-yes, that's right," she says, looking at me a little quizzically. "My family own the Suzuki Medical Group, you see. My mother, my father, my older brothers and sisters – they're all doctors, and they all expected me to follow the same path, but I decided that wasn't quite for me. I found myself focusing more on animals. I'm not very good at talking to people." She gazes down at her lap, where her hands are fidgeting with a small beaded bracelet she's taken off her wrist.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better you seem to be doing fine just now," I tell her with a grin.

She gives me a weak smile in response, but shakes her head. "I think... I think that's more to do with you than it is with me. You're approachable. I suppose an Ultimate Barista would have to be."

"I never really think about it like that, I suppose," I shrug. "Well, I'm glad you feel like you can talk to me!"

Ayaka suddenly looks really flustered, and she jumps up from her seat. "Um, well, yes..." she stammers. "Perhaps we should be heading back to the Castle now, though? The others will be waiting for me to help out with the food for tonight."

"Oh, sure thing!" I reply, pushing myself up off of the bench. "Let's head back."

I gesture for her to lead the way down the stairs, and we head off back towards the Castle.

"I... I think I'd like to talk again, Kei, if you don't mind," Ayaka tells me.

I find myself grinning again. "Of course – whenever you like, just let me know!" I say, and with that, we walk back across the Courtyard to the Castle in companionable quiet.

Ayaka seems like a really nice person, and it's nice to see that she feels like she can come out of her shell a little around people she trusts. Maybe after tonight she'll find it easier to befriend the others too!

* * *

I leave Ayaka in the Entrance Hall and head off to find Miniro. Luckily, I don't have to look far, as he's sat in the Dormitory with Yamato and Arata, deep in discussion about horror films. Arata's seen all the classics, but none of the more recent ones, and Miniro and Yamato are filling him in on some of their favourites.

"-and there's a really gross bit in the third film when the guy's eye gets-"

"Oh, hi, Kei!" Arata cries, cutting an animated Yamato off midsentence. Yamato and Miniro look up and I give them a wave, crossing over to sit down in an empty seat beside them.

"What's up?" I ask. "You guys nearly ready to get stuff sorted?"

"Oh, shit, is it that time already?!" Yamato yelps, leaping up from his seat. "I told Cho I'd meet her in the Entrance Hall before we have to start the running."

"Don't worry, you're not late," I laugh. "I only just left Ayaka downstairs to head to the Kitchen, so you probably have a while before you head down."

"Ah, well, I may as well get a headstart," he shrugs. "I'll see you all outside!" He flashes a two-finger salute as he crosses the Common Room floor and disappears through the doorway.

"Well, I think I'm still waiting on Kimi," Arata sighs. "I'm not sure if it's worth my time just going ahead and getting the blankets myself."

"I'd say judging by her mood today," Miniro says, grimly, "you'd be safer either waiting on her, or doing your best to stay away from her completely." He fidgets with one of his earrings and then nods at me. "Oh, but I'm ready when you are, Kei."

"Well, I wanted to take one of the drinks machines from my Bar down to the theatre if that's something you wouldn't mind helping me with?" I ask. "Besides that I think we just need to grab a couple of bottles and some cups from the Kitchen. Maybe a couple other bits and pieces from the Bar."

"Sounds good to me," Miniro nods.

"You're calling your Talent Lab the Bar now?" Arata asks.

"Sounds less pretentious," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck, sheepishly. Miniro shrugs, but nods his agreement.

"I'll be interested to see what mine is like!" he says.

"Me too," Arata says, and then gives us a massive grin, "If it's literally just a room full of four-leaf clovers I'll go on a protest."

"Hey, guys!"

Cho suddenly seems to barrel down the stairs from the Dormitories and land almost gracefully at the botto of the archway.

"Afternoon, Cho," Arata says. "Yamato's just went downstairs – he said he was meeting you in the Entrance Hall."

"Ah, okay!" she replies. "What are you guys up to then? Sleeping on the job, huh?"

"Not quite," I laugh. "Arata's waiting on Kimi, and Miniro and I are gonna head soon."

"Hm, I may as well sit with you guys for a couple minutes then," she shrugs, throwing herself down in the spot Yamato had been sitting in a minute before. "I'm really lookin' forward to tonight! I love movies."

"Like The Karate Kid?" Arata asks.

"Ew, no," she says. "I can't stand martial arts movies – it's all about the horrors, y'know?"

"Hey, we were just talking about horror films," Miniro replies. "What ones d'you like?"

* * *

And somehow we end up talking about movies for another fifteen or so minutes before Arata points out Yamato is probably waiting on Cho downstairs. Miniro and I decide now is probably as good a time as any to get a move on, and Arata gives in and decides to go find Kimi himself.

It doesn't take too long for me to unplug the drinks machine, and Miniro lifts it up like its no heavier than a shoebox. I pile a few tubs of hot chocolate mix and tea and coffee supplies into a small storage box, and we head off together down to the outdoor theatre.

It didn't take very long to set things up at the back of the theatre. Fumio had found some folding tables backstage, and he helped me set things up with the drinks up the back while Miniro went back to fetch glasses from the Kitchen. Fumio was one of the ones who had kept himself to himself since we got here, so it was nice to actually chat with him, even though it was about nothing in particular, though I did get to learn he was very particular about what he ate and drank as he was super careful about what things he let into his body. I guess being a chemist has some impact on that.

Not long after, Miniro returns with the glasses and we set them all up on the table for everyone to take. The hot drinks machine is rumbling away quietly in the background as the three of us sit down in the back row to watch the others down on the stage, shuffling back and forth with equipment.

Finally, as the afternoon sky darkens above us, Kaori gives out a satisfied sigh and wipes some sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand.

"All done!" she beams. "Everyone ready?"

"We're just waiting on the others to turn up with the food, I guess," I say. "D'you think we should go lend a hand?"

"No need!" announces Blessing, walking into the theatre with a big smile and a platter of food. "The others are just behind me – we're all done!"

As if on cue, the others trailed in, each holding similar large platters. Fumio and I point them to the folding tables we've set up at the top of the theatre stands, and help them set it all out. There's platters of sandwiches and spring rolls and finger food; arrangements of fruit and vegetables; bowls of junk food – chips and chocolates; and a bunch of other stuff – including a massive sectioned bowl of different types of popcorn. It smells totally incredible and I can feel my mouth starting to water just looking at it all.

"Everyone here then?" Mitsu asks, once all the food's been laid out in place and everyone's stepped away from the table to admire their handiwork.

"Everyone except Haru and Masashi," sighs Cho. "Who knows – maybe they'll get bored and turn up at some point!"

"Doubt it, but it's a nice thought," Kaori shrugs. "Oh, well, everyone wanna get some food sorted and get our asses in seats?"

"Sounds good to me!" beams Arata.

And so, the movie night begins.

Kaori's managed to set up the theatre's projector, and its facing a large screen that the others have managed to assemble. It seems to be pretty great quality, surprisingly. And with the canopy closed over the ceiling, and the lights dimmed down, its like being at the cinema! The heaters are humming quietly, not loud enough to really be noticable, and there's a pretty cosy feeling in the theatre as Kaori gives Fumio a thumbs up and he puts on the first film.

First up is some early noughties comedy I've never heard of. It isn't too bad, but I think some of the jokes kind of go over my head. Miniro, who's sitting a few seats down from me, seems to think everything about it is hilarious, though, and keeps accidentally showering Daisuke and Fumio in popcorn and lemonade.

I'm sat in between Arata and Kaori, who seem pretty engrossed in the film. Kaori seems to find it a lot funnier than I do, though thankfully she isn't as enthusiastic with her food and drink as Miniro is. I glance down at the row in front of me, where Mitsu, Cho, Blessing, Yuki, and Yamato are all sitting. Yamato seems pretty disinterested – he's leaning back and trying to flick popcorn into his mouth. Yuki and Blessing seem to be in quiet conversation, taking turns to whisper to one another and nodding excitedly.

A few times during the first film, people stand up and walk up to the back for more food and drink, but luckily the seats are at a decent enough height on the separate rows that it never obstructs anyones' view of the screens – which actually makes it about ten times better than any other cinema I've ever went to!

Finally, the first film ends and Kaori licks some chocolate off of her fingers and fumbles in her pocket for a remote control for the lighting rig. The theatre brightens up and there's a few groans as a few people rub their eyes to get used to the brightness.

"What do you guys wanna watch next?" Fumio asks.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Something scary next!" Yuki insists, waving her hand in the air. "It'll be super atmospheric in here!"

"Well, while you guys are sorting that out," Cho says, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom – I don't wanna miss the start!"

"That's probably a good idea," agrees Ino. "Anyone else?"

"Yeah," Arata says, getting up from beside me. "I should probably go too. Um, could you look after my drink for me, Kei? Or are you coming too?"

"Nah, I'm good," I tell him. "Sure, I'll keep an eye on it!"

It ends up with Cho, Mitsu, Ino, Kimi, Daisuke, Miniro, and Arata returning to the castle, and Yuki, Yamato, Fumio, and Kaori going backstage to find a horror film. I decide to refill my drink while I wait for them, offering Ayaka and Blessing refills too. Ayaka says she's okay, and stays in her seat, while Blessing joins me up the back of the theatre while I prep her drink.

By the time we're done, it looks like the others have decided we're watching Blood Harvest, a cabin-in-the-woods style teen massacre flick featuring none other than Blessing Ayoeda.

"Oh, no, we don't have to watch that," Blessing says, surprisingly looking kind of embarrassed.

"Aw, please, Blessing!" Yuki insists, clasping Blessing's hand in her own. "It's like my favourite horror movie ever! Plus it'd be like listening to it with the behind-the-scenes commentary with you here!"

"I... oh, are you sure?" She still seems uncertain. "I'm sure there's plenty of other good films."

"Ah, come on, it's great!" Yamato says. "Surely you're used to seeing your own movies?"

"I... I don't actually watch myself back," Blessing admits, sheepishly. But then she just shakes her head a little and smiles. "Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything. If everyone else is alright with it then I can't complain!"

"Yes!" Yuki cries, punching the air victoriously. "Can you set it up, Fumio?"

"Sure thing," he nods.

And all seems to be going to plan. Fumio sets the film up, and after a few logos – including a rather tacky 'Monokuma Approved' label that had apparently been edited in – the DVD menu shows up on the screen. It looks like your sort of run of the mill horror. The main image is kind of grainy and black and white, with the silhouettes of the five main characters displayed in red, standing in front of the creepy house the film's mainly set in. Blessing's character is silhouetted in the middle of the group, and from what I remember of seeing Blood Harvest a couple years ago, her character ends up filling the Final Girl trope.

We chat away amongst ourselves for a while as we wait on the others, and finally Daisuke and Miniro trail back in. They take their seats again, and we all get back to chatting. There's some more talk of horror films, and Blessing tells us about some of the special effects and make-up work she had to use while they were filming Blood Harvest. It's pretty cool to get little pieces from behind-the-scenes, and once again the reality of just how famous and amazingly talented these people are hits me!

Not long later, the theatre doors open again and Mitsu arrives. By now it's been about fifteen minutes since the others had all left, and some of the others are starting to get impatient.

"Should we just start the movie?" sighs Yamato.

"Nah, give 'em a few more minutes," Kaori shrugs, lounging back in her seat. "It's early enough, anyways – it's not even past eight yet!"

I hadn't even noticed the time passing by, and I subconsciously slide my ElectroID out of my pocket to check what time it actually is. **19:42** , apparently.

"Y'know, we've been waiting a while," Fumio says, "and... I could probably do with heading up to the bathroom before we start too."

There's a few groans and cries of protest from some of the others, and Fumio shrugs and grimaces in what I suppose is meant to be an apologetic way.

"Ugh, I guess I could go too," Yuki grudgingly admits. "At least that way I won't miss any of the film!"

A super annoying thing I've noticed is that, kind of like yawning, talking about going to the bathroom really seems to have an adverse effect on you. In this instance, I suddenly realise my bladder feels like it's swollen to the size of a football and I find myself trying not to think about waterfalls.

"Okay, yeah, I'm gonna head up too," I sigh, admitting defeat. "We'll go round up the others while we're at it."

"They're probably picking up some more food," Yuki says, as I follow her and Fumio down the theatre stairs and out towards the door.

"Back as soon as!" I call back to the others with a wave.

* * *

We set off through the doors and out into the small plaza. The sky is clear tonight – dark and alive, glittering with countless stars. The cold mountain air catches in my throat a little as I follow after the other two, our footsteps muffled a little by a thin layer of snow.

We pass through the little passageway out into the Main Courtyard. Now that we're further away from the theatre, the cold is really starting to set in and I wrap my hoodie a little tighter around myself – already missing the heaters and the blankets.

It's just as we're passing the bandstand that Yuki suddenly stops dead in her tracks, and I nearly walk into the back of her.

"Hey, you two," she says, catching Fumio's attention – he's a few paces ahead of us, and he turns to look at her in confusion.

"What's up, Yuki?"

"That gate's open," she frowns, nodding over at one of the gates leading off to another part of the Grounds. "Where's that one lead again?"

"The Maze, isn't it?" I reply. "That's weird – was it open when we came to the theatre earlier?"

"Can we discuss this once I've got to a bathroom, please?" Fumio winces.

"You go ahead," I tell him. There's suddenly a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it's taken priority over my bladder. "I'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" he says.

"Yeah, it's cool," Yuki tells him. "Just... just be quick, okay?" Her usual bubbly demeanour's been replaced with worry, and somehow that makes me feel even more on edge.

"Do we... go in?" I ask, as Fumio's retreating footsteps fade away.

"What if the gate's just... swung open in the wind or something?" she suggests, in an 'I don't believe it any more than you do' sort of way.

"That'd be nice," I nod. "That'd be very nice."

Uncertainly, we walk round the bandstand and approach the open gate.

"Should we maybe get the others?" I ask.

"I... I'm not sure," Yuki admits.

"Maybe we should just take a look before we get anyone else into a panic," I reply. She nods, and the two of us gingerly make our way down the passageway through to the entrance of the Maze.

It takes us a little while through the dark and the mist that still seems to linger in between the hedges, but between the two of us, we're more or less able to recall the route that we had walked when we'd came in here to explore the other day.

We call out, "Hello?" and, "Anyone in here?", but there's no response. Our voices sound weird and muffled between the mist and the thick hedges. We're using the light from the screens of the ElectroIDs to light the path now, but even then, it barely pierces the shroud of mist that surrounds us.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Yuki tugs my sleeve and nods to her right.

"We're near the centre," she says to me, quietly. She looks genuinely scared now, and I realise I probably look much the same. I hadn't realised at first, but I was actually holding her hand now as we drew closer.

It's a horrible feeling of apprehension as we step closer and closer to the hedge that leads round to the centre. It's like being on a rollercoaster just before it gets to the edge of a massive drop, or being in a car when someone hits the brakes really suddenly, or even just when you miss a step when you're walking downstairs, and suddenly your heart feels like it's lodged in your throat, and that little split second of panic is still ebbing in your head.

And as we turned that final corner and entered the epicentre, it felt like the rollercoaster had fell apart. It felt like the car had kept on screeching forwards and crashed into a wall. It felt like I'd missed every step on a staircase that went on for miles, and I was falling, falling, falling – down, down, ever downwards.

Because the very first thing we saw, as the dim light from our ElectroIDs lit up the small area in front of us was the corpse of the Ultimate Lucky Student, Arata Summerfield...

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	5. Chapter 01: Dead on Arrival (IV)

The entire world seemed to have just... stopped.

Everything's spinning – I can hear something – is someone screaming? Is it Arata? Yuki? I don't understand what's happening – I can't see, everything's spinning. The hedges. The mist. Yuki. Arata...

I'm on the ground now. I think I'm on the ground. I can just make out Yuki's face like it's a million miles away, like I'm looking at her from underwater. Is she shaking me? Is she saying something? I don't know. I think she is.

Next thing I realise, I'm gasping and spluttering – the cold air is sharp and burns in my lungs. I can hear my heartbeat pounding like a drum – thudding in my ears. Everything is too clear and too confusing all at once. I don't know what's going on.

"I was meant to look after his drink."

I'd choked the words out. Suddenly, time seems to rush forwards again to catch up with me and I let out a strangled sob as the true reality of what's in front of me kicks in.

Arata's body is propped up in one of the silver benches, blood staining through his teal jacket from his wrists, and dripping down onto the ground below. His lifeless eyes are wide, gazing blindly right at me as a terrified Yuki helps me back up from the ground. There's a knife in his right hand, the steel coated in crimson.

"Wh-what do we do?" I cry. Yuki and I are holding one another up at this point, clinging to one another desperately. She's shaking her head, her eyes wide and fearful. I can feel hot tears running down my face, but she's managing to hold it together a little bit better than I am.

"I d-d-don't know," she stammers. "W-we need to get the others, don't we?"

"Way ahead of ya, kiddos!"

I hadn't even heard the monitor switch on, but right on cue, Monokuma's image fills the screen. He's rubbing his paws together and seems to be shaking.

"Normally I'd wait til someone else turned up on their own merit but this maze is just a doozy! We could end up here for hours. So I've asked 'em all to get their asses over here! Ooh, this is just perfect!" he cheers. "I'd cry tears of joy if I wasn't so busy! Woo-hoo! Finally, someone started being interesting!"

"Shut the fuck up!" I spit, venomously. "He's fucking dead! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Kei, Kei, Kei..." He sits up and shakes his head now in mock sympathy. "The lil' country beatnik might have kicked the bucket, but that's just one less person to worry about, right? Your real priority now is workin' out who did him in! Now wait a sec – I got something to do."

The screen fizzles out for a second, leaving us with the silence, and Arata's body. The both of us just shiver, still clutching onto each other, but then Monokuma reappears on the monitor.

"You're gonna wanna hold on to somethng – this is a tricky bit..."

And before either of us can move, there's a sudden groan – like some enormous machine being powered up. The ground seems to lurch beneath our feet and we stumble forwards, crashing down in a heap on the frosty grass as the hedges around us suddenly start shifting in a circular motion. Here in the centre of the maze the ground seems to stay in place, but as far as I can tell, every hedge is turning and shifting and pulling away from each other, with a strange constant clatter like a train on a track.

As Yuki and I watch in astonishment, the hedges start to line up with one another, forming one straight path straight ahead, where – through the mist – I can just make out the faint silhouettes of the others, all assembled in a group. The hedges finish their rearrangement with a final dull clunk of machinery, and silence falls yet again.

As soon as the hedges stop moving, the others are running towards us. Masashi is the front of the pack, and he shoves past me, wide-eyed, to see Arata's body.

Miniro soundlessly extends his hand out to Yuki, while an ashen-faced Cho does the same for me. No one says a word. No one knows what to say at all really. The tears are still stinging my face, and I can see I'm not the only one. The others faces are a display of horror, and shock, and fear, and sorrow, and despair...

And then...

Ding dong dong ding!

The cheerful trill of the intercom boomed out across the Maze, and the monitor buzzed back into life. There were other monitors visible along the wall of hedges, all displaying Monokuma's glee as he announced, "A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Class Trial will begin!"

"C-Class Trial?" Blessing stammers.

"Never mind that!" Yamato yells, throwing his arms wide. "What about Arata? Is he definitely dead?"

"Definitely," Ayaka says, gravely. "With this amount of... amount of blood-" She brings a hand to her mouth and chokes back a sob. "I-I'm sorry..."

"But... why?" Fumio says, stunned. "We were all only with him a little while ago."

"And then ya weren't!" Monokuma cries, appearing atop the fountain. "Look, I may have been a little hasty, so now's where I fill you all in on the Class Trial."

"We need to move him first!" Miniro roars, taking a step towards the bench. "It's disrespectful to just leave him there like that."

"Oh, no, no, no, Popeye!" Monokuma chastises. "You can't disturb the crime scene!"

"C-crime scene?"

"Well, what else would ya call it?" Monokuma sighs. "Okay, now listen up! What you just heard over the intercom there was the Body Discovery Announcement – it rings out when three or more people discover a body, 'kay? If you can't keep up you get left behind. Much like the dearly departed Mr Summerfield here!"

"This isn't funny!" I shout. "You can't make this happen and then make fucking jokes!"

"Ooh, temper on that one, huh?" Monokuma says to the others, pointing a paw at me. "Always gotta keep an eye on the nice kids – they always end up the most dangerous ones! But, I digress! Back to business! Once a body is discovered, you'll all get a certain amount of time – pretty much as long as I wanna give you – to investigate the murder, gather clues, and be some proper lil' Sherlocks!

"And then it gets to the interesting bit! Once you've gathered your clues and whatever, you all get to face off in a Class Trial, and attempt to determine the killer! It's all about usin' the ol' noodle! The lil' grey cells! Or just the empty space in your noggin, for some of you." He makes a gesture and a sound like he's clearing his throat. "During the Trial you'll use your evidence to find the culprit, and then determine by majority vote who that is! If you guys are smart and vote for the right person, only they receive a punishment, but if you vote for the wrong person, then the guilty party gets off scot-free, and you all get punished in their place!"

"This is insane!" cries Masashi. "You can't genuinely believe that that's even possible, can you?"

Monokuma shrugs. "Hey, I'm holdin' all the cards here – don't cause a scene, 'specially because it's disrespectful to the recently deceased to try and steal the limelight, y'know? Anyway, I'm getting bored of explaining stuff to you bastards, so if you'll be so kind as to check your ElectroIDs, you'll find..."

Bleep!

I hadn't even realised I was still clutching my ElectroID in my hand, and I held it up to see a small icon flash across the screen, with a label: **MONOKUMA FILE #1**.

"If you kids like autopsy reports, and I know you do," Monokuma cackles, "then this'll come as a real big treat to ya! It has a brief rundown of the victim and whatever, blah blah blah. Y'know what? Show some initiative – work it out yourselves! Jeez, at this rate I'll end up tellin' you all who's guilty myself!"

And with that he bounces away in a monochromatic flash.

"I... I suppose we have to get started then," Mitsu says, shakily. She looks at me and suddenly its as if I'm seeing her for the first time. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, and seems to regain some of her composure. "Okay, yes, we need to do this."

"This... this is really happening?" Cho asks.

"And how do we even start?" Yamato grimaces. "This is just... fuck, I don't know..."

"Well, I'd say we take a look over this first, wouldn't you?" Haru asks, waving his ElectroID at us.

A few of us exchange looks.

"Monokuma... s-said it was like an autopsy report," Daisuke whimpers. He's trembling and tugging at the sleeves of his long-sleeved jumper. "C-can he really be dead?"

"We... we need to get past that right now," Miniro says, sadly. "It seems that's the reality we're facing now. It's what happens next we need to focus on."

"This... Class Trial the bear was talking about," Kimi says, "I don't suppose there is anything we can do to prevent it taking place?"

"I'd say we lost that chance as soon as Arata died," Fumio sighs, shaking his head.

"I just... I can't... I can't believe it," I mumble. "Why would someone kill Arata?"

"That's what we have to determine," Mitsu says, grimly. "And Haru's right. This... Monokuma File seems to be our starting point."

I look down at the ElectroID in my shaking hand, and press the **MONOKUMA FILE #1** label. The label opens up to display a blank screen for a second, and then a spinning Monokuma logo appears onscreen, splitting in half to reveal a page of information. First is a full-body black-and-white photo of Arata, with the word 'dead' emblazoned across it in blood red writing.

At the side of this is a header displaying Arata's full name, and then a breakdown of some information – Arata's height, weight, blood type, and birthday. I swipe my finger over the screen, partly just because it hurts to see Arata's smiling face on the screen, but what comes next hurts even more.

It's an image of what's exactly in front of us – Arata's corpse. Monokuma must have taken it using one of the security cameras. I try to block it out and read what's marked out below.

The victim's body was discovered at the centre of the Maze in the Castle Grounds. The estimated time of death is 7.35pm. The victim appears to have suffered knife wounds to both wrists, resulting in death. No chemicals such as poison were detected.

He's really dead... Arata's really, really dead. It's like everything happening now is just a new sharp reminder, like a wire to my brain. I feel like I'm in a movie – seeing the world through someone else's eyes – like it's real but it's not...

The tears have stopped – but I've screwed my eyes shut tight and it hurts and I just my head to stop spinning. It's all happening again – fuck, why can't it just stop?!

"Kei!"

The voice snaps me back out of my dizziness, and I realise I've fallen to the ground, and I numbly register the way I've landed has ripped through one of the knees of my jeans. I'm probably bleeding, but right now I don't even care.

Yamato and Ayaka are at my side. Yamato's holding my arm to keep me upright while Ayaka is squinting intently at me, trying to hold my head straight.

"I-I'm okay," I say. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, man," Yamato replies. "You had us worried for a sec there."

"You should go sit down," Ayaka tells me. "Or lie down even. The shock's hit you pretty hard."

"But I can't," I reply,"can I? I... I need to help. We need to do this together or we'll all end up dead. And we need to do this for... for Arata."

I push myself up off the ground again. I still feel kind of weak and dizzy, and my knee is stinging where I've tore through my jeans. I take a deep breath and loosen one of my shirt buttons and my tie.

"Well, before we get started," Kaori says, "we should try and cover all our bases, right?"

"How d'you mean?" asks Cho.

"If we've got to look for clues then we have a lot of places to look," Kaori replies, looking round at us. Her gaze lingers on Arata's body for a few seconds before moving on. "Arata went from the Theatre, back to the Castle, and then ended up here in the Maze. We should divide ourselves up and see what we can find that way."

"That's a good idea," Mitsu agrees. "That way, even if one person misses something, then someone else is less likely to miss the same thing."

"I... I'm going back to the Castle," Masashi says. His usual severity has completely gone, replaced with... is it panic? Fear? "I... I..."

His sentence dies in his throat, with an afterlife as a small choke. Without another word, he takes one last look over at Arata and stomps off back down the line of hedges that had formerly been a maze.

Some of the others start to trail off, til all that's left in the little clearing here are Mitsu, Haru, Miniro, Cho, and Ayaka. Miniro and Cho have volunteered to guard the crime scene just in the offchance that someone tried to mess about with things. Mitsu's beckoned Ayaka over, and the two of them are inspecting Arata's body. And Haru's standing at the base of the fountain, gazing at it like he's just inspecting a sculpture in an art gallery.

I'm still trying to pull myself together, and I find myself sort of awkwardly trudging over to the mysterious boy.

"What are you doing?" I ask. "Shouldn't we be looking for important stuff?"

"I might be," he answers, shortly. He's rubbing his chin like he's deep in thought about something. "A few of you guys came in here the other day, right?

"That's right," I reply. He nods and slides his hands in his pockets.

"Did you come all the way to the centre here?" he asks.

"Yeah," I frown. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, this should be easy then," he sighs. "What's different about this place from how it was before?"

"You mean besides..." I trail off, feeling that dizziness starting again.

"Yeah, besides the obvious," he says. He rolls his eyes and turns to face me, taking a hand out of his pocket to clutch my arm, tightly. "Look, you need to keep it together, okay? If you can't accept what's happened and get on with things then it's gonna hold you back, and in turn that's gonna hold the rest of us back. I can't go out of my way to be super sweet and delicate right now, but if there's one thing I can be, it's honest. D'you understand?"

I nod again, taking small, sharp breaths that hang in the air in small glittering crystals before they disappear in the breeze. I run a hand through my hair and let out one more deep breath.

"I can do this," I say. "I have to do this."

"Good," he says. His gaze seems to burn right into me for a second, like that weird intensity from yesterday. He finally loosens his grip on my arm and gives me a small, satisfied nod. "Okay, now what looks wrong about this fountain?"

I find myself frowning. It looks the exact same as it had the other day, as far as I can remember – from the tip of the water-spewing Monokuma, to the thick, square base set into the ground.

"I'm not just gonna tell you," Haru informs me. "I need to know if I'm right. Walk round it."

I give him a look and slowly start to walk around the fountain in a circle. I'm only a few paces round when I realise what he's talking about.

"You mean that line, don't you?" I ask. "There's like a weird line near the top of the base here."

The fountain, much like everything else in the Castle Grounds, was coated in a fine layer of frost, and after walking round the fountain a little I could now see a weirdly angled line at just about waist height, on the base of the fountain.

"Do you remember seeing it before?" he asks.

"I... don't think so," I say, shaking my head. "No, in fact, there wasn't any marks on anything – just the frost and snow."

"Check this side here now," he says, indicating the side facing the benches. I give him a quizzical look, but he just inclines his head insistently and I do as he tells me, moving round to inspect the other side.

The line in the frost seems to stop at the corners, and this side is clear of the line, however there's a bunch of weird sort of shapes like... like...

"Like Picasso did a snow angel," Haru comments. "Were they there the other day?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm pretty sure I didn't see any of that."

"Then I'd say that's your starting point, right?" he says.

Bleep!

I look down at my ElectroID. Like how the Monokuma File label had appeared, two new ones had appeared: **LINE ON FOUNTAIN BASE** and **SHAPE ON FOUNTAIN BASE**.

"It just... does it automatically?" I frown.

"Weird, huh?" Haru nods. "Mine did the same. Big Brother is always watching, I guess."

A ripple of uneasiness runs over me again, and I hit the lock button on the ElectroID and slide it back in the pocket of my jeans.

"Not yet," Haru says, shaking his head at me. "You may as well keep it out. You missed something."

I glance down at the fountain base again – the shape is unnervingly like a snow angel – but I let my gaze travel further down until I noticed some weird marks in the frozen grass.

"Scuff marks?" I murmur.

"Looks like it," Haru nods. "Anything else?"

"I... I don't know," I groan. "My head feels like it's going to burst."

"Use the light on your thing"

I do as I'm told – again – and peer closer in to the scuff marks in the ground while I face the screen of my ElectroID downwards. At first, I can't really make anything out apart from the hard earth and crumpled grass, but then I see – maybe a foot away from the fountain what is unmistakeably blood. It shines black in the moonlight, and despite the ice-white grass around it, I hadn't seen it at first, but now its impossible to miss. I realise this is the same in all the scuffed places on the ground this side, and I find myself having to look over to the benches again.

"That can't be right, can it?"

"Hm," Haru says, pursing his lips. "Anyway, I'm going to go check the castle. Bye."

And before I can even get back up from the ground, he's turned away and is walking off – passing by Miniro and Cho who are standing at either side of the hedges. The ElectroID in my hand pings again with a label: **SCUFF MARKS IN GRASS**.

For a moment, I just feel completely lost as the realisation of just how... impossible this whole situation is washes over me again. I'm literally investigating a murder – the murder of someone I had just started getting to know.

But there isn't time to keep going over that. Like Haru said, if I hold back then the others get held back – and we can't afford to let that happen.

ElectroID firmly in hand, I steel myself and approach the bench where Mitsu and Ayaka are talking quietly. Mitsu looks up at me.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

"Yes," I lie. She nods, seeing through me immediately.

"Ayaka's looking over his injuries," she replies. "I'm checking his clothes in case there's anything significant, but so far I haven't found anyth- wait, what's this?

She's reached into the inside pocket of Arata's jacket and she frowns as she seems to grasp something. She withdraws her hand, bringing a folded piece of paper out with it. She shares looks with Ayaka and I, and then carefully unfolds it. Her eyes dart over it quickly and she pulls a face, before soundlessly handing the paper over for Ayaka and I to read.

The writing was in all block capitals, and it looked like it had been torn out of the back of a book.

TO WHOEVER READS THIS, I'M SORRY. I COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO STAY HERE ANY LONGER AND I HAVE NOTHING WORTH LEAVING THIS PLACE FOR. SO I HAVE DECIDED TO END THINGS ON MY OWN TERMS. PLEASE DON'T THINK TOO BADLY OF ME.

ARATA

"A suicide note? Surely not..." Ayaka murmurs.

"Definitely not," I reply. Something's off about this – I can feel it in my gut. This isn't quite enough to discourage my ElectroID though, as a bleep signals the appearance of a label marked: **ARATA'S SUICIDE NOTE**.

"Do you mind if I keep hold of it?" Mitsu asks. "I'd like to check something."

I nod and pass it back over to her and she tucks it in between the front cover and the first page of her notebook.

"It leaves more questions than answers, frankly," she says. "And by the look on your face, that isn't all, Ayaka."

"Well, I'm obviously more suited to checking animals than people," Ayaka replies, "but there were a few things I found that weren't mentioned in the Monokuma File."

"Go on," I nod, brow furrowing.

"Well, there is an injury to the back of his head here," she says, pointing to a spot near Arata's crown. Mitsu steps round and gently parts some of his long, purple hair, and then nods. I can just make out a small cut that looks to be pretty recent.

"Anything else?" she asks.

"I could have almost missed it because of how dark it is," Ayaka says, moving back round to the front, "but then it caught my attention as I was checking the head wound before. Look."

She's gently pulled on the neck of Arata's red T-shirt, and I leaned in a little closer to see what she was trying to show me. Like she said, because of the darkness out here, it was difficult to make out at first, but now that I was focusing, I could see faint patches of bruising around the front of his neck.

"What do you make of it?" I ask her, still trying not to look at Arata's face. I stand up again and feel my ElectroID pinging. Ayaka and Mitsu look down at their own. **ARATA'S AUTOPSY** , the screen announces.

"Charming," sighs Mitsu.

"Anyway," Ayaka says, "I'd say something had been wrapped around his throat, but it only appears to be the front of his neck that has any bruising. I'm not sure what would cause that."

"How about his arms?" asks Mitsu. "Is there anything about them that could be relevant?"

Ayaka frowns. "I'm not sure," she admits. "There's a lot of blood, and I'm afraid there's nothing I can ascertain from the wounds. Except that I suppose they came from the knife in his hand."

"Yes, that's another thing," Mitsu says. "The knife. It would most likely have come from the Kitchen, so I suppose that's one thing worth confirming."

Ping! **KNIFE** adds itself to my growing list of tabs.

I squint at the way the knife is held in Arata's hand. Something doesn't look quite right to me, and I have to kneel down to look at it a little closer. Mitsu and Ayaka are stood behind me, watching me curiously.

"His hand's got bruises on it too," I say. "What d'you think, Ayaka?"

I move aside and she leans down to look. Some of his blood had ran down over his hand, but the visible skin was darker, and looked to have swollen a little.

Ayaka gently pulls at his fingers, loosening his grip on the knife, and she gingerly places the knife on the bench beside him. I glance up at Mitsu to see she's writing things down in her notebook, glancing at her ElectroID between words. She flips through a couple of pages and her eyes widen, but before I can say anything, Ayaka gasps.

"His right wrist and part of his hand are broken," she says. "I thought maybe it was just some bruising but you can see the bones."

She gestures at his hand, and now that she has it laid out flat I can see exactly what she's talking about. His wrist is sitting at a weird angle, and the bone is disturbingly visible through the skin. Something dully registers in my mind, but I can't put my finger on it, still trying to get past the panic and terror.

With a ping, my ElectroID updates the **ARATA'S AUTOPSY** tab with the relevant information from Ayaka's analysis. I straighten back up again and turn to Mitsu, who still looks fairly shaken by whatever it was she'd noticed.

"Are you okay?"

"I... Yes."

She's just told me the same lie I told her, and I nod my understanding. She shoves her notebook back into her bag and lets out a sigh.

"Hm, now this is odd."

I turn back round to see that Ayaka has stepped round me, and she's now inspecting Arata's other hand closely, frowning as she does.

"This hand is fine, but if you look at his fingernail here..." she murmurs, trailing off. Despite myself, I lean in to see what she's referring to. Arata's fingernails were a little longer than mine, and it looked like the nail of his middle finger had been broken slightly, like that way when someone starts to bite through their nails. Stranger still, there appeared to be a small fleck of dried blood coating the very tip of the broken nail.

"That can't be right," Mitsu comments.

The ElectroID seems to agree, and updates with **BLOODY FINGERNAIL** a moment later.

"Oh, that reminds me - before I forget," Mitsu says, back to business in a flash, "has anyone seen Arata's ElectroID lying around anywhere?"

"Isn't it in his pockets?" I ask.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "I checked all of them and all he had was that note."

The note... I just about hold back a shudder at the thought of it.

"Where would his ElectroID be?" I frown. "Could he have left it in the castle?"

"I suppose that's one of the answers we need to find," Mitsu says. "For now, I think you should go ahead and see how the others are doing."

"It may do you some good to move away from here," Ayaka agrees. "You look faint."

"I do still feel a little dizzy," I admit, running my hands through my hair. "You're probably right. Um, can I just do one thing before I go?"

They look at me expectantly, and I step closer to Arata's body.

"I'm sorry, Arata," I tell him. "I'm so sorry." I reach out and gently close his eyes. I stand back up and take one more look at him, before I turn to walk off. Mitsu and Ayaka stand silently, but I feel their sadness.

Cho pats my shoulder as I pass her, and Miniro wishes me good luck as I head off down the line of hedges back to the entrance of the maze.

The silence really starts to get me now, as I make my way back. The hard ground barely makes a sound underfoot, and the night air is still and bitter cold. I hate this so much. I hate that I'm walking away from the body of my friend. I hate that we're here. I hate that I know I need to keep going. I hate feeling this scared and helpless. I just want to be home, and for my mom to tell me everything is okay, and to not have to worry about anything more than the occasional asshole customer.

Finally, my walk reaches an end, and I slide back through the gate out into the courtyard with the bandstand.

* * *

I decide to check out the Theatre first, mainly just because it's closest. I know there isn't much to look out for here, except maybe Arata's ElectroID, and I quickly walk up to the spot where Arata had been sitting what suddenly felt like days ago...

His drink's been knocked over, and there's something about seeing it that hurts to look at. It's like I've failed again. I couldn't keep my friends safe, and I couldn't even keep my friend's drink safe. It sounds overdramatic, I know, but... it's a lot to take in.

I wander about the Theatre for a while, searching about for the missing ElectroID, and generally just trying to get my head screwed back on straight. I feel like I need to be analysing every little detail now after talking with Haru and Ayaka.

But I need to get back to the matter at hand. I finish my search of the Theatre and go to head back out, to head off in the direction of the Castle, when I'm nearly struck in the face with the door.

I step back just in time, and the door swings open fully to reveal Kimi, Blessing, and Yuki.

"Oh, Kei!" gasps Blessing. "I'm sorry – are you alright?"

"It's cool," I reply. "I got out the way."

"That's a relief," she sighs. "I didn't realise anyone was in here!"

"How's your search going?" I ask. "There isn't much in here from what I could see."

"I am afraid it is not going well," Kimi says, flicking a strand of hair away from her face. "We haven't checked the Castle yet, though."

"Neither have I," I reply. "Oh, before I forget, have any of you seen Arata's ElectroID? It seems to have disappeared."

They shake their heads.

"'Fraid not," Yuki says, sadly. "I'll keep an eye out though – promise!"

"Thanks," I say with a weak attempt at a smile. "I better get moving."

"Good luck," Blessing calls after me as I pass by them in the direction of the passageway back to the Courtyard.

"You too," I call back, quietly adding to myself, "We're probably going to need it."

* * *

The walk back to the Castle is uneventful, and there doesn't seem to be anything that stands out to me as I head back across the Courtyard and into the Entrance Hall.

I decide to check out the Kitchen first, to confirm Mitsu's suspicion of where the knife had came from. Kaori and Ino are down there already, and they look up at me as I enter.

"Jeez, Kei, you look rough," Kaori says, and then gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry, that didn't come out right."

"Are you alright?" Ino asks me, stiffly.

"Getting there," I lie. "Any luck?"

"See for yourself," Kaori replies, gesturing at a knife rack on the wall behind her. Lo and behold, there's an empty space where one of the knives is missing. The telltale beep of my ElectroID confirms it, and the **KNIFE** tab changes to **KITCHEN KNIFE**.

"That answers that, I guess," I murmur. "Found anything else?"

"Nah, not in here," Kaori says, shaking her head. "Oh, hey, Mitsu."

I turn as Mitsu emerges from the stairway behind me. She glances up from her notebook.

"Hello, you three," she says. "Kei, do you have a second?"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," I frown. She gestures for me to follow her back upstairs, and I briefly look back at Kaori, who just shrugs in a 'hell if I know' kind of way.

Nevertheless, I follow after Mitsu to the Hall above, where she grabs my arm and pulls me to the side, leaning in close to whisper, "I need to tell you something."

"Y-yeah?"

"I'm not completely sure who to trust with this," she admits, letting go of my arm. "But I need to tell someone – it's important."

"What is it?" I ask, frowning at her.

"Do you remember the other day when we first went into the maze?" she asks. "I drew a map as we went along."

"Right," I nod, eyebrow raised. "What about it?"

She looks deep into my eyes, grimly. "It's gone."

"Wh-what do you mean it's gone?" I frown. "Are you sure you haven't just forgot what page it's on?"

She gives me a withering look and holds up her open notebook, displaying a ripped out page.

"It should be there," she insists. "And I don't page jump, so it's all linear. It would definitely be that page."

"But what does that even mean?" I ask.

"It doesn't have very nice implications, does it?" she replies, coolly.

"I... I suppose not," I agree. "So that's something else to keep an eye out for, I guess."

"If anything, it's something to keep in mind for the Trial," she says. "It'd be stupid to overlook any little detail at this point."

 **MISSING MAP OF MAZE** , the ElectroID informs us.

"I wonder if this thing only updates with relevant stuff," I say, "or whether any of it could be just random."

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough," she replies. "I'm not sure what it means, or who could have done it, so we'll need to hurry. There's still a lot of ground to cover, and we still need to find Arata's ElectroID before our time is up."

* * *

The entire time we're searching, my head is still reeling with everything that's happened so far. How the hell are we supposed to find a killer from all this? I'm trying to piece bits and pieces together but it's like having a box full of fifty different jigsaws and still trying to get a coherent picture from them.

The inside of the Castle doesn't seem to offer much answers. Arata's room is still locked, and there doesn't seem to be any sign that anyone's tried to break in or anything suspicions like that. For a second, as I inspect the door, I kind of feel like I'm playing detective, and it's almost laughable... but then the severity of the situation comes into affect and that sinking feeling makes a reappearance.

In fact, it's just as we're leaving the Dormitories that Blessing and Yuki suddenly burst into the Common Room, with Kimi trailing behind. Blessing and Kimi try to catch their breath, while Yuki pants, "We... found... it!"

She reaches into an inner pocket of her purple top, and withdraws an ElectroID.

"We remembered you said to keep an eye out for it," Blessing adds. "We found it buried in the snow near the entrance to the Theatre."

"Brilliant!" Mitsu says, taking it out of Mitsu's outstretched hand. She presses the button to switch it on, and Arata's name flashes up onscreen.

"So it's definitely his," I nod. "Good find, you three!"

"You are very welcome," Kimi says. "Though I don't see why it matters."

"It could be very significant soon enough," Mitsu replies, passing me Arata's ID. "Keep a hold of it, will you?"

"Sure," I nod, sliding it into the pocket opposite of the one I've been keeping my own ElectroID in.

 **ARATA'S STUDENT HANDBOOK** flashes up on my screen a moment later.

"Well, that mu-"

Before I can say anything more, the familiar chime of the intercom rings out.

Ding dong dong ding!

And Monokuma appears on the monitors.

"Ahem, well, I've been more than generous with you kids!" he announces. "And now I'm happy to announce your Investigation period is over! If you'll all go outside to the bandstand Courtyard, I'll be with you all presently! And remember, failure to attend will result in punishment!"

And with that, the screen died out again.

"Th-that's it?!" Kimi splutters. "We're supposed to do this... Trial thing now?!"

"It would seem so," Blessing says, looking very concerned. "I... I don't mind admitting I'm scared."

"Me too," I confess, suddenly overly aware of the weight of Arata's ElectroID in my pocket. I reach in and grip my fingers around it, like it's meant to be some sort of good luck charm. "We... we should get going."

"Come on," Mitsu says, already holding the door open at the far end of the room. "I suppose there's no avoiding this."

And so, one-by-one, the five of us made our way out of the Common Room.

* * *

The others had all assembled in the Courtyard by the time we arrived, and they looked up at us with a mix of expressions as we joined them, awaiting Monokuma's arrival. No one spoke – it wasn't time for words now. The wind had picked up again, but the snow still spiralled down gently. It was almost picturesque.

For a few long, uncomfortable moments, nothing happened... but just as Ino opened her mouth to no doubt complain, there was a sudden screech of protest from behind us. We turned to see the gate with the Monokuma eye motif had swung open, revealing the bear himself.

"Lovely evening for it, huh?!" he cheers, gleefully. "C'mon then, get your asses in here!"

He windmills his arms, gesturing for us to step through, and we grudgingly fall into single-file to pass through the gate.

Beyond the gate there's a small square of space, with nothing worth particularly describing. It appears to just lead on to a wall space at first, and a few of us look round in confusion, but then...

"Ahem, if you'll mind yourselves..."

Monokuma squeezes between us and approaches the wall, giving one of the large bricks a gentle shove. The entire brick seems to fold backwards, and then a portion of the wall just slides away after it, like a...

"A secret door?" Yamato cries, incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding?"

"Evidence of your own eyes, kid!" Monokuma retorts. "In you get!"

And once again, we step into the unknown.

Not for long though, of course, as lights flare into life a few feet above our heads, and it becomes clear we're in a large square caged box. Monokuma gives us a wave from beyond the door, only to disappear as two large metal doors suddenly clash shut together in front of him, separating us from the demented bear.

"It was a trap?!" Kaori gasps. "How many is he gonna put us in, goddam-"

There's a sudden clunk and next thing we know, the cage is descending.

"It's an elevator!" I realise, holding my arms out to keep my balance.

"Goin' down, I guess," Yuki says, looking upwards with a worried expression. There are lights in the walls that cast a ghostly glow over us at regular intervals for a minute or so, but then finally...

A dull boom...

And the elevator stops. There's an inappropriately comical chime of a bell as the doors clatter open, and we step out into...

* * *

"Welcome to the Trial Ground!" Monokuma cheers, from atop an enormous granite throne. His voice echoes throughout the cathedral-like room beyond the elevator doors and we step out in awe and horror as we take in the details of the room we've stepped into.

It's an enormous circular room with flagstone walls and no windows. It's a weird combination of a church, a theatre, and a music venue. Stone pillars line the outer edge of the room, with huge emerald green velvet drapes pulled over to conceal whatever it is that lies beyond. Brackets line the room, lit within by strange blue-green flames that cast long, dark shadows over the room and its occupants. Four enormous projector screens are placed at each side of the room far above us, and far, far above, large stained glass windows let in shafts of muted moonlight.

Strangest of all though, is the centre of the room, where sixteen platforms are arranged in a circle, facing in on each other. In one stand, there's a large wooden stand, displaying a black-and-white picture of Arata. A bloody red cross has been messily splashed across his face.

"What's that for?" Ino asks.

"Just because he's dead doesn't mean we should forget about him," Monokuma says. "Now shuddup and take your stands – you'll see your name on a screen at each one."

We find our stands, one-by-one. I'm stood directly across from Monokuma's throne, with Arata's portrait marker to my left, and Fumio to my right. After Fumio is Yuki, then Kimi, then Miniro, Blessing, Kaori, Mitsu, Yamato, Ayaka, Daisuke, Haru, Cho, Ino, and Masashi, before reaching back to Arata's empty stand.

We take our places in silence. Looking round at one another, and at our surroundings as we try to piece together just what the hell is going on. But of course, we know what's going on. We're here for a reason. There's one thing we need to do, and it's going to come with a price...

We need to discover what happened to Arata Summerfield.

Because our school life had been a battlefield – that was obvious.

But down here... in this place far, far beneath the Castle...

This was a warzone.

This was our fight.

This was where we discovered the truth.

This was the First Class Trial!

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	6. Chapter 01: The First Class Trial

"Is everybody ready?" Monokuma cries, throwing his paws wide. "Now then, let's start with a basic explanation of the Class Trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, then only the guilty party will receive punishment But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone besides the guilty party, and that person will earn the right to leave this castle! Oh, and of course..."

He claps his paws together and one of the thick green drapes slides away, revealing the Monowheel. Lights spin around its outer edge in a circle, illuminating all the different potential outcomes.

"What's that doing down here?" Haru asks.

"Well, it's the motive, of course!" Monokuma cackles. "And the winner of the Trial, be that the innocent or the guilty... gets to reap the rewards with a big spin!"

"You keep treating this like a game," Mitsu says coldly. "What do you get out of this?"

"Time and a place for a Q&A on that subject," Monokuma shrugs. "Now shut up and get to work! The Trial... is now... in session!"

As if on cue, lights flash on at the base of each of the stands, and with a strange electrical thrum, each of them start to rise. I grip the sides of my stand, feeling my stomach lurch as I rise further and further off of the ground, until suddenly we're all floating a good ten feet above the floor. I can see that under the base of each of our stands is a weird combination of what looks like huge chunks of glass and machinery, all glowing with a weird blue light.

"Wh-what the hell?"

"This is... crazy!"

"How the hell did that happen?"

Haru turns to face Monokuma. "What's the point of this?"

Monokuma manages a half-assed shrug. "Dramatic effect, mainly. Now get to work!"

"Wh-where do we even start with this?" asks Daisuke, nervously. He glances down at the floor below and seems to flinch a little. The dull lighting in here makes it seem so much further away...

"Well, does anyone have anything they'd like to suggest to get the ball rolling?" Miniro says. "It doesn't matter what it is."

"Well, how about we just quickly go over the Monokuma File?" Fumio offers. "That way we're all on an equal footing for a starting point."

"That's a good idea," Mitsu nods.

"Oh, if I might interject!" Monokuma cries, waving his paws above his head. "For your convenience, if you all place your ElectroIDs on the stands in front of you, they will display any relevant information for everyone to see through the screens on the walls behind you, and... this!"

With a flourish, he turns his gaze down to the centre of the floor. With a faint grumble of stone-on-stone, a small circle of the floor slides away, revealing a thin beam of ice-blue light that shoots upwards to be level with just below the hovering stands.

"What is that?" Kimi asks.

There's a faint clunk as Mitsu is the first to place her ElectroID down on her stand, and prods her screen. A moment later, the thin blue light seemed to shimmer and change shape, displaying an image of the Monokuma File, as it projected up onto the screens around us.

"It's a hologram!" Kaori breathes, eyes wide. "That's beautiful!" She wrinkles her nose. "Bit sci-fi, but... still beautiful!"

"State of the art technology, thank you very much," Monokuma replies. Mitsu shoots him a dark look and he sits back down in his throne, sheepishly. "Ahem, as you were."

"So, as we know, the victim was Arata Summerfield," Mitsu says. "The Monokuma File says what we already knew – that his body was discovered in the centre of the Maze, and the estimated time of death was 7.35pm. It also tells us that he suffered knife wounds to both of his wrists, resulting in death."

"But it also tells us something we didn't know!" Yuki cries, pointing at the last part of the File on the hologram display. "It says there was no poison or chemicals detected! That's gotta be important, right?"

"If you mean by having no impact on anything at all, yes," says Kimi, drily.

"Okay, let's not get into any dumb arguments," Yamato insists, arms folded. "We need to be careful – our lives are on the line."

"Thank you for that lovely reminder," Masashi says through gritted teeth. He's gripping onto his podium tightly – his knuckles white from the effort. I find myself wondering what exactly is going on in his head. But not for long, as Mitsu steers the conversation back on track.

"Yuki's right, though," she says. "Knowing that there was no poison or chemicals in Arata's body means we can rule out a whole potential line of reasoning. We need to consider as much as we can, but we also need to keep it relevant with the information we have available to us."

"Exactly," Ayaka nods. "Mitsu is correct. It would be dangerous, and impossible, for us to determine much more than what we can ascertain from the evidence we have all collected during our investigation. To attempt otherwise would be foolhardy, and almost definitely get us all killed."

"So... you basically mean to keep on topic, right?" Yamato says. Mitsu and Ayaka nod. "Well, glad we got that sorted," he responds with a half-hearted shrug.

"Well, then, we've went over the Monokuma File," Ino says, "now what?"

"Why don't you discuss the weapon?!" Monokuma suggests. "I mean, if a bear may offer his advice."

"It's as good a place to start as any," Haru sighs.

"Alright then," Mitsu says, "the murder weapon was the knife we found in Arata's hand when we arrived at the centre of the Maze."

She swipes her screen, and the hologram display changes to display a slowly rotating image of the large knife.

"Okay... so, what exactly is there to discuss about it?" Cho asks.

"That's... a fair point."

"It's kind of an open and shut fact, right?"

"Well, first," I pipe up, "I guess it's important to note that it was from the Kitchen."

"The Kitchen?"

"Well... yeah," I nod. "I mean, I know that's kind of obvious, but it could be important, right? The knife was taken out of the knife block in the Kitchen."

I swipe the screen of my ElectroID to the relevant tab and the hologram changes again to show an image of the knife block, sans one knife.

"That's probably worth remembering," Haru suggests. He has a strange look on his face all of a sudden, though it's difficult to really tell what it means.

"So, it had to be someone who was working in the Kitchen earlier, right?!" Fumio cries. "They could've taken it with them when they turned up to the Theatre."

"That was Blessing, Ayaka, and Daisuke, right?" Kaori says.

"What do you three have to say about that?" Masashi asks, leaning forwards slightly. There's a strange look in his eyes. A weird impatience – an insistence. A bead of sweat runs down the side of his face.

"Wh-what?!" Daisuke panics. "You think one of us took it?"

"That just isn't possible," Blessing insists.

"I am certain it was none of the three of us," Ayaka says. "I am quite certain that all the knives were still there when we left earlier on this evening."

"Can anyone else be certain of that?" Kimi asks.

"Oh, well, I can!" Yamato realises. "Well, I'm pretty sure I can at least. The food platters had all been lined up on the counter, and we all left at the same time. Nobody went near the knife block that whole time."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Haru seems to nod at this – perhaps his suspicions of something have been confirmed?

"Yeah, Yamato's right," Cho agrees. "When we went down to help them in the Kitchen, there was definitely no way anyone would have been over at the knife block without someone noticing!"

"Who's to say you aren't just covering for one another?" Ino accuses, glaring from person to person. "You could be in on it together!"

"Why the hell would we do that?!" Yamato cries. "You think all five of us are somehow in on this?"

"Let's not turn this into a witch-hunt, guys," I warn. "We won't get anywhere if we just accuse people with no evidence."

"Well, what about you?" Kimi asks. "It was you that apparently found the body. Who's to say it wasn't you that did it?"

"Yuki was with me the entire time," I point out. "We found him together."

"That's true," Yuki nods. "It took us a while to get there because we were having to try and work out the route!"

"And if the two of you just happened to be accomplices?" Ino asks. "How can we trust that both of you didn't work together?"

"Why would we do that?!" Yuki protests. "We just went looking for him!"

"I gotta admit, it is kinda sketchy you don't have anything to prove that you're both innocent," Yamato says, grudgingly. He sees the shocked look on my face and looks guilty. "Sorry, man."

"Well?" Masashi insists. "If neither of you have anything to support your story-"

"What about you though?" Haru asks, lazily pointing a finger at him. "Neither you or I have alibis or anything to say that it wasn't one of us."

"Wh-what?" Masashi suddenly acts dumbstruck. "Y-you can't possibly be trying to say I did this?"

I was more shocked that Haru had ended up implicating himself in things. What the hell was he playing at? I wasn't the only surprised one, apparently.

"Why would you point out you don't have an alibi?" Mitsu asks, eyebrow raised. Despite her calm demeanour, I can see that she's feeling the strain of the Trial as much as I am – sweat starting to appear on her brow. Glancing round, it seemed to be the same for almost everyone else. Haru, meanwhile, seemed completely unaffected. He didn't have that strange look on his face anymore, instead it had set to more of a grim look.

Strangely enough, though, his answer to Mitsu starts with a shrug. "Because I know I didn't kill him."

"Th-that's your defence?!" Masashi splutters. "Are you fucking kidding? Any of us could say that – it wouldn't make it true!"

"I get what you mean though," I say, a little cautiously. I don't want to give anyone else any cause for inciting a witch-hunt. "We should explore all our options – not just jump on whatever comes up first."

"That's easy for you to say," Ino hisses. "It still doesn't mean you have any proof it wasn't you!"

"You've got that wrong!"

I hadn't even realised I'd said it til everyone's attention had been drawn to me. For a second, I felt a little self-conscious, but then I remembered what exactly it was that I had just realised.

"Wh-what?" Ino's taken aback at this, and gives me a doubtful look. "How have I?"

"The Monokuma File can prove that neither Yuki or I could have done it!" I tell her. "Look here."

I swipe the screen on my ElectroID back to the Monokuma File.

"What are we meant to be looking for, Kei?" asks Miniro.

"The approximate time of death," I reply, tapping the screen so it zooms in. The hologram display does the same, displaying the time of death: 7.35pm. "See what I mean?"

"How does that prove you didn't do it though?" Kimi asks. "It's just information we already knew."

"Hey, wait a second..." Kaori says.

"There we go," I say, with a satisfied smile. "I knew someone would remember!"

"What is it?!" snaps Masashi.

"Yuki and I were still at the Theatre after the Monokuma File says Arata was killed," I explain. "I remember because I checked the time after Kaori said it wasn't even 8pm yet. It was 42 minutes past 7, which means by the time that Yuki and I left the Theatre with Fumio, it was at least ten minutes after Arata had been killed."

"That's right," Kaori nods, "I remember saying that!"

"And Fumio left the Theatre with us and we all saw that the gate to the Maze was lying open," Yuki added.

"That's true," Fumio agrees, rubbing his chin. "I can confirm the gate was already open when the three of us were in that courtyard."

"Well, then, that seems pretty satisfactory enough to conclude that that Kei, Yuki, and by extension, Fumio, are all innocent," Mitsu says. "Of course that also means we can rule out anyone who never left the Theatre before then."

"So, that would be... Yamato, Kaori, Ayaka, and Blessing all in the clear too, right?" I say.

"But wait," Miniro says, "Daisuke and I were at the Theatre when you three left."

"W-we arrived back shortly before, Mr Shirane," Daisuke says to him. "But I don't think that completely rules us out as suspects."

"And really our only alibis are each other," Miniro sighs. "Damn, that's a mean spot to be put in!"

"That also means that you're implicating yourself as a suspsect, Mitsu," Haru points out.

"Because I know I didn't kill him," she replies, coolly, echoing what he had told her before. He smirks at this.

"Okay then," Yamato shrugs, "I mean, I'm not gonna argue with any of that. Hell, that cuts a good amount of us out of the suspect pool, I guess."

"That still leaves us with Cho, Mitsu, Ino, Kimi, Daisuke, Miniro, Masashi, and Haru," Kaori says, counting each name off with her fingers. "That's like more than half of us now, damn!"

"Still better than fifteen," Fumio points out.

"Don't you mean fourteen?" Cho frowns.

"Nope," he says, shaking his head. "Because there's a piece of evidence that was at the crime scene indicating a potential killer."

"Doesn't all of it indicate to a potential killer?" Ino sighs.

"Well, yes, but this indicates that it could be someone who isn't here with us," he says.

Wait... could he mean?

"You mean Arata, right?" I ask. "You're talking about-"

"The suicide note," Mitsu finishes.

"That's right," he nods. "Ayaka told me about it when I went back to the Maze to check the place out. By that point Mitsu was gone, but Cho and Miniro heard it."

"So... there was a suicide note?" Kaori frowns. "Jesus, and I was worried that one of us was actually a murderer!"

"What is the meaning of this?!" Kimi asks. "This is nothing more than a Trial to determine that he committed suicide? Why did you all wait so long to mention this?!"

"No, guys..." I try to say, but I get cut off as some of the others start to object too.

"This is ridiculous!" spits Masashi. "All this over some idiot being too weak to see things through!"

"Don't you fucking dare talk about him like that again!" Yamato yells back. "Even if he did kill himself, there's nothing weak in that. It's more than you've done – skulking about and doing all the big dramatics!"

"Guys, please," I try. To no avail. Suddenly, it seems like the room is in uproar – full of panic and anger. Masashi and Yamato are in a full shouting match. Ino and Kimi are in competition to determine which of them is most pissed off. Ayaka meanwhile, is trying to calm a distressed Daisuke. On the other hand, Mitsu's pinching the bridge of her nose like a stressed out schoolteacher, Miniro is trying – and failing – to placate the others around him, and Haru suddenly seems to be more interested in the architecture of the room than what's actually going on in front of him.

"-fucking idiot!"

"Don't even try and say-"

"I just don't-"

"We need-"

"-and I swear I'll-

Ugh, this isn't going anywhere.

"Will you guys fucking calm down?!" I roar, finally losing my patience. The shouting and screaming finally dies down and I run a hand through my hair and let out a long sigh. "Look... we aren't getting anywhere by shouting and screaming. We know that this is important. We know that we need to do things properly. There's no other way about it. Okay?"

"Nice to see you've got a hold of yourself," Haru comments, before addressing everyone. "But, yes, Kei's right. We do this properly. We listen. We debate. We might even live, if a miracle happens. But bitching at each other isn't going to help!"

A slow clapping sound breaks the silence that follows his words, and I look over to see Monokuma on his throne, clapping his paws together. "Oh, slow clap for those two!" he cheers. "Some dominant personalities steppin' up, huh? Wasn't expecting it from the coffee boy, but that sure packed a punch!"

"What are you talking about?" I frown. He stops clapping and just shrugs.

"This is what the Class Trial's all about, stupid!" he cries. "Hope against hope, tempers fraying, people taking sides. Ooh, it's a thrill a second! I can barely keep my stuffing in!"

"Ugh, can we get on with it before he says anything else gross?" Yuki asks.

"Definitely," I grimace.

"Ah, no, but here's where I take a little segue onto another phase of the trial!" Monokuma says. "I've heard your cries! Your confusion! Your woe and misery! And that means it's time for... a scrum debate!"

A round monitor flips up from the side of his throne and he seems to retrieve a key from nowhere, quickly jamming it into the monitor. We watch in confusion for a second as nothing happens, but then...

A trilling noise... like an old ringtone.

The dull roar of machinery powering up fills the chamber, and the lights around us flare up with bright blue light. The blue light in the strange glass structures at the base of each of our podiums intensifies in rhythm with the rest of the lights, while the hologram display fizzles away. There's a strange clunking sound, and then suddenly the stands start to rise again.

"Wh-what the fuck?"

The stands hover higher and higher, each a foot or so below the preceding one. I'm the penultimate stand to rise, with Arata's vacant stand hovering up behind me. We're rising towards the ceiling at first, and it seems like we're going to collide with it – one-by-one – but then, our stands all come to be level with one another again, though now we're facing one another, half on one side, half on the other. I'm face-to-face with Masashi, who has Kimi, Cho, Miniro, Fumio, Kaori, Ino, and Daisuke on his side, while I have Yamato to my right, with Mitsu, Haru, Blessing, Ayaka, and Yuki further along.

At the end of the line-up is Monokuma. His throne has risen too – not floating like our stands, but raised up on an extendable metal platform. The strange metal monitor is there too, and I can just make out several rapidly spinning gears feeding from the monitor back into the throne, all glowing with that weird blue light.

The stands all lock into place with several loud mechanical clicks, and we're all only a couple of feet apart from our opposing classmates now. Monokuma rises in his throne and clears his throat.

"Ahem, we now come to the Scrum part of the debate," he announces. "For this part, you each have a differing opinion. With the introduction of the suicide note evidence, the side on my right here, headed by Checkers – oh, alright! – Masashi, are all of the belief that Arata Summerfield committed suicide. The side on my left, headed by the Coffee Kid – Kei – are all of the belief that Arata Summerfield was viciously, unfairly, and positively impolitely murdered! So, basically you get to argue face-to-face! Neat, huh?"

"I-isn't this basically what we were already doing?" Daisuke asks.

"Yeah, but it keeps things interesting," Monokuma shrugs. He points at him. "Now get to work! You start!"

"Well, I... I think if there was a note, it has to be true, right?" he stammers, chewing on the sleeve of his jumper. "It wouldn't make sense otherwise."

"Counterargument!" Monokuma insists, pointing at Yuki. Her eyes widen for a second but then she seems to think of something.

"The note didn't necessarily have to have been written by Arata!" she replies, looking pretty confident for a moment, then her face sinks. "Right?"

"And again!" Monokuma points at Ino.

"The picture of the note on the ElectroID shows he signed the note with his name," Ino says. "So obviously it had to be him!"

Monokuma silently points back over to my side, at Ayaka this time. He seems to be enjoying himself even more with this new method of debating.

"Just because the note had his name on it,"Ayaka reasons, "does not exclusively mean that he was the one to write it."

Back across the line-up – to Kaori this time.

"But there would be no point in writing a fake suicide note," Kaori shrugs. "I mean, that's what I think at least..."

And then it was Blessing's turn...

"The killer could have forged the note for their own purposes!" she counters.

Fumio shakes his head. "I just don't see what purpose that would serve – it doesn't make sense."

"It does if you paid attention to the crime scene," Haru retorts, though he doesn't offer anything else to support this. Monokuma seems to let this pass, and turns his head again to face Miniro. I'm put in mind of a spectator at a tennis match.

"I... I just think that the time of death, and how things looked there means it could have been a suicide," Miniro says. "It is... not a nice thing to consider. But neither is murder."

"The time of death leaves the possibility for several of us to have easily been able to kill him," Mitsu replies, shaking her head. "You're right that it isn't a nice thing to consider, but not to consider it at all would be wrong."

"I just think there's too many possibilities," Cho sighs. "And I think the note is pretty conclusive evidence... yeah?"

Beside me, Yamato bristles as Monokuma's gaze falls on him. "Well, that's the point, right? We need to consider all the possibilities – not just the first one that seems convenient! Jeez, I feel like we're just going in circles."

"Well, I think it would be foolish to so quickly dismiss the obvious," Kimi says. "I am not without my doubts, but I haven't seen anything that would make me think otherwise."

My turn now...

"Which is why we need to keep moving on," I tell her. "We need to consider everything before we go digging our own graves!"

"But there's nothing to consider!" Masashi cries, hammering his fist down on his stand. "You don't have fingerprint evidence. You don't have any kind of forensics! Hell, unless he," - he points accusingly at Haru - "turns out to be some sort of Ultimate Forensic Scientist, I'm not just going to take the word of some wannabe Scooby Doo gang!"

"But there is proof that it couldn't have been a suicide!" I protest.

He looks at me like I just slapped him. "Wh-what?!"

Before I can reply, though, Monokuma lets out a cheer.

"And dooooooown we go!"

He turns the key in front of him again, and before anyone even gets the chance to say anything, the stands are plummeting back downwards, far faster than they had risen. I grip the sides of my stand, feeling the warm air in the enormous chamber as it whips through my clothes and up my back – my hair flying wildly in the draught.

Finally, with a horrible lurch, we return to our spots near the floor, and the stands lock back into their positions, forming the circle again. Monokuma's throne lowers back down again too, and he flashes us a thums up – which is an impressive feat when you don't have opposable thumbs, I guess.

"And it's back to debatin'!"

The hologram display fizzles back into life in the middle of us all, and the screens around us flare up again. Monokuma lounges back and waves a paw.

"As you were."

All eyes turned back to me. Our sudden shift in setting had been pretty jarring, and I have to struggle to remember what exactly it was I'd had in mind a moment ago.

"Look, he obviously doesn't have a clue what he's saying!" Masashi snaps. "He's making it up!"

"No, that's wrong!" I counter. He glares at me as I flick the screen of my ElectroID – the display now showing close-ups of Arata's other injuries filed under **ARATA'S AUTOPSY**."Look at the other injuries he's got. Even disregarding the head injury and the bruising on his neck, how was he meant to cut his wrists with the knife when he shouldn't have even been able to hold it?"

"Shouldn't have been able to hold it?" echoes Cho. "What d'you mean?"

"He means that Arata's hand was broken," Mitsu says. "He shouldn't have been able to grip the knife at all – not with that hand, at least."

"S-so, you mean someone killed him and then put the knife in his hand and left that note to make it look like a suicide?" Blessing reasons.

"That seems to be the case," Mitsu says. "Which is pretty informative actually."

"How so?" Ino groans, rolling her eyes.

"Well, did Arata have a broken hand before he left the Theatre?" responds Mitsu, hands on hips. "Or neck bruising or a head wound?"

"I suppose not," Ino replies, shaking her head. "And what?"

"Well, it tell us that he fought with his killer!" Miniro says. "Well, that definitely rules out the suicide option, I guess."

"Either that or he just got really, really clumsy," Haru says, sarcastically. He puts his hands in his coat pockets. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way – shall we move on?"

"So... just so we're all on the same page here," Yamato says, "definitely no chance of a suicide? Definitely murder?"

"Definitely murder," confirms Mitsu, grimly.

"No, no, wait!" insists Masashi. "Even if he does have a broken hand, that doesn't completely rule suicide out, does it? Are you telling me that's all you have to support that theory?"

"That's not all, no," Haru says. "You know what I mean, right, Kei?"

I blink a few times, caught a little offguard again. Quickly, I try to go over all the stuff rushing through my head before I remember...

"The scuff marks!" I realise. Quickly, I swipe my ElectroID's screen and the display image changes to show everyone the scuff marks. A handy picture had appeared, zooming in to show where small bits of blood had sunk in.

"What are we looking at, exactly?" Kimi asks, scrutinising the image with a narrow gaze.

"Haru noticed these scuffmarks beside the base of the fountain," I explain. "And..." I press the screen again and the image changes to show the strange shapes that had been left in the frost of the fountain base. "This too. I didn't realise it at first, but now we know that things were manipulated about the scene of the crime, I realised that something here had changed too!"

"How do you mean?" Blessing asks.

"Well, look at the way the scuffmarks are in line with the fountain base, and the way the shapes in the frost kind of line up," I reply. "See what I'm getting at?"

"You mean... Arata's body was up against it at some point!" Kaori cries, clicking her fingers as realisation dawns. Then she looks grim. "That's... pretty morbid, man. Someone moving his body like that."

"Pretty morbid killing him in the first place," Yamato points out. Kaori nods her agreement.

"But what about this other shape here?" Miniro asks, gesturing at the line Haru had pointed out to me in the first place. I change the picture over to the close-up of the line in the frost.

"I'm not sure, really," I admit. "It doesn't seem to be on all sides though."

"Look harder," replies Mitsu, raising her eyebrows at me as she nods. "Look at the line in relation to the shapes on the side where Arata must have been sat up against."

I squint at the image again... The line – now that I'm really focusing on it – seems to be exactly in line with where Arata's neck would have been had he been leaning back against the fountain.

"He was restrained with something!" I gasp. "Something was pulled around his neck to hold him back against the fountain!"

"Oh, yeah?" retorts Ino, folding her arms. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, the line there..." I say with a frown. "Look."

"Is that all? How do we know for sure?"

I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Fortunately, Ayaka saves the day with a swipe of her ElectroID screen. The hologram changes to show a close-up of Arata's neck.

"Look at the bruising here," she says. "It is most clear here at the front." She briefly fidgets with her braid. "I would have to agree with Kei on this. A ligature of some sort would certainly have been used. I would also propose that his head wound came from his head smacking off of the underside of the fountain base."

"Well, I'll concede on that one," Yamato shrugs. "Can't argue with that."

"That's horrible though," Blessing says, sadly. "Poor Arata..."

"It's... it's terrible," I sigh, gazing down at my feet. "And that's why we're going to find who killed him."

"But how?" Cho cries. "Nothing points in any direction here!"

"We're making progress," Kaori says, confidently. "We can't give up here, right?"

"That's right," Haru nods. "It seems we're making good leeway from the evidence we've compiled so far. I think we're close to solving this."

"Wh-what else do we have left to go over?" asks Daisuke. "I... I can't see much else that we can work with."

We all look down at our ElectroIDs, and I notice Mitsu look a little uncomfortable. She had mentioned the missing page of her notebook to me, but it hadn't been brought up yet. I want to trust her, for some reason. But do I bring it up? It would have been stupid for her to bring it up to me if she was actually guilty, right? She has her notebook on her, so if it came to it, I could prove that the page was missing, but that could still incriminate her, surely?

My head is still reeling at this when Miniro speaks up.

"How about the scene of the crime?" he booms, his voice echoing through the suddenly quiet chamber. "The Maze is kind of a tricky place to attack someone in, right? Especially if you want to get away without looking suspicious."

"Timing wise, it just isn't sensible, unless you already know the layout, surely?" Kimi says. She gains a few looks of surprise at this – all taken aback she just isn't arguing, no doubt...

"That's true," Kaori nods. "I don't see anyone getting through there without knowing the route ahead of time."

"Well, it took Kei and I a while," Yuki points out. "And that was with two of us trying to remember the route from when we'd been in before."

"And we've already established that neither of you could have done it," Haru says, pushing some hair out of his face. "So that's a good way to gauge our timeframe here."

"Realistically, the culprit had about five to ten minutes to get to the centre of the maze with Arata, kill him, and then leave the Maze to return to the Castle or the Theatre, right?" Yamato asks. "Because when Monokuma called us all to the Maze, we all ended up together, except Kei and Yuki who were already in the Maze with Arata."

"That's right," nods Mitsu. "But then that leaves us with another question: how did the killer lure Arata into the Maze in the first place?"

"Shit... I hadn't even thought about that," Yamato groans.

"Well... um... I dunno..."

"I have no idea," sighs Kimi. "Does it matter?"

"It would have to be something significant, surely?" Ayaka suggests. "He would hardly have followed someone into the Maze for no reason."

"That's true," I nod. "I can't think of anything that would make sense though."

"How about his ElectroID?" Mitsu suggests. My eyes widen.

"You mean that's why we couldn't find it at first?" I ask. "Someone else took it?"

"It's a possibility, right?" she replies, with a small shrug. "The fact that it wasn't in Arata's pockets, and that it was found somewhere away from the crime scene would lend to that, potentially."

"I'd say you're correct," Haru nods. "There isn't very much else in this place that we have that are necessities. Without his ElectroID, he wouldn't be able to access his room. I wouldn't want to lose mine."

"And there's no chance that he just dropped it on the way back to the Castle?" Cho asks.

"No." Blessing shakes her head. "It was buried in the snow when Kimi, Yuki, and I found it. Just outside the Theatre. The snow was nowhere near heavy enough to have covered it that way just from being dropped."

"Well, that certainly seems to add to that theory," Fumio nods.

"But what does it actually tell us?!" Masashi snaps. "Who does it point us to in this shitshow of a trial?"

"No-one yet," Mitsu replies, "but we haven't finished yet." She takes a deep breath. "There's another piece of evidence I have that can explain how Arata and the culprit got to the centre of the Maze in such a short space of time."

"Oh, really? And what would that be?" Masashi drawls.

I already know what's coming now, but even still, I can't help but be surprised when she reaches into her bag and pulls out her notebook. She flips it open and holds it up for all of us to see. Up on the four screens, a close-up of the notebook appears, showing us all the torn edges of the page where her map of the Maze should have been. On the page visible behind it are some more of Mitsu's observations about the Castle Grounds.

"The missing page," she explains, "had a map on it of the Maze. I had managed to draw it out with some of the others a couple of days ago."

"And can anyone verify this?" Ino asks.

"I can," I nod.

"Me too," Daisuke says.

"Yeah," Yuki adds. "Miniro and Cho too."

Haru seems to be smirking at something now. He makes eye contact with me for a moment and I frown at him. He responds with a shrug and then looks to Mitsu.

"The page definitely wasn't missing when I got to the Theatre earlier on tonight," she says. "But by the time we started the Investigation it was gone."

"So the k-killer had to have taken it while we were in the Theatre!" Daisuke gasps.

"Unless Mitsu's the killer," points out Fumio.

"If she was, why would she bring that up in the first place?" Haru says. "I think a double bluff at this point would just be suicide."

"Anything seems to be suicide right now," groans Yamato. "I can't tell whether anything is true or not right now."

"Nor can I," Ayaka sighs. "It is frustrating to have so much information, yet no proper conclusion."

"We can do this, guys," I insist. "We've come this far already!"

"Your optimism is inspiring," Masashi says, sarcastically. I ignore him.

"So, getting back to the matter at hand, we're proposing that someone stole Mitsu's map and used that to help them lure Arata into the Maze, having also taken his ElectroID?" Miniro asks.

"Right now, it seems to be the most logical conclusion," shrugs Kaori.

"I... suppose that makes sense from what we've heard," Ino nods. "I guess it all makes more sense after going over it."

"But we're still no closer to working out who killed him!" Masashi protests, hammering his fists down on the stand. "It's all well and good working out what happened, but without knowing who did it, it's fairly obsolete, isn't it?"

His question is met with silence. No-one is quite sure what to say. In a way, it's true. We know the how and why, but not the who... And we seem to have went over all our evidence.

"Wh-what do we do now?" Daisuke stammers. I don't even know what to say. I can't think of anything worth saying. We've went over so much. We've worked out so much. But there's something we're missing: the culprit's true identity.

I close my eyes, gripping onto the stand in front of me. The sudden long silence has made it easier to concentrate, and I rack my brains, trying to sieve through my memories of everything. The Theatre. The Maze. The crime scene. The investigation. What am I missing?

Body was moved after being restrained against the fountain base with something? He got a head wound off of the base of fountain going by what Ayaka said. We reasoned he must've broke his hand in self-defence. What else? What else? What else? Oh!

"Arata's fingernail!" I yell out. The others look up at me.

"What?" Cho frowns, eyebrow raised.

"His fingernail was all bloody and broken!" I reply. "Remember, Ayaka?"

"That is right," she nods. "We found that his fingernail was bloody, and the end of the nail had been broken off."

"So what? Couldn't that have just happened when he fell?" asks Kaori.

"I am not certain," Ayaka says. "I do not recall seeing the broken fingernail anywhere near him. Though it is possible."

"It seems likely, but with the way everything else seems to be piecing together, I wouldn't want to rule it out," Mitsu says. I nod in agreement.

"But where do we go from there?" I sigh. "I can't really think of anything obvious."

"Nor can I," admits Mitsu.

"I th-think I can..." Daisuke says, timidly. He looks close to tears. He's nervous enough as it is – it's a miracle the stress of all this hasn't completely floored him.

"Go on, Daisuke," I say, giving him the closest to a reassuring look I can right now. He looks at me – wide-eyed for a second – and then gives a stiff little nod.

"Well, if... if he was attacked by his killer before they... killed him," he murmurs, "and it seemed like he fought back going with what w-we went over earlier... I think he could have put his hands up, to sort of defend himself, you know?"

"Where are you going with this?" Kimi sighs, tapping her foot off of the bottom of her stand impatiently.

"W-well, there wasn't anything else in the Maze that he could have been hit with," Daisuke goes on, "so wouldn't that m-mean that his attacker used their fists?"

"Hey, that's a good point!" Yamato says, nodding vigorously. He gives Daisuke a thumbs up. "Good spot, man!"

"Th-thank you, Mr N-Nagai," he replies. "But... um... yeah, if he were attacked and tried to shield himself from a punch, and say he h-hadn't broken his hand yet – he might have tried to grab his attacker too. For the nail to have come off like that, th-there could be some blood, or a m-mark on the person who attacked him."

"Is that really likely though?" Cho asks.

"Well, a similar sort of thing has happened to me during some fighting stunts before," Blessing says. "More than once, too! I think Daisuke could be onto something!"

"I... I've experienced the same sort of thing too," Daisuke murmurs, not meeting anyone's gaze now. "It j-just seemed like a possibility."

We don't have much time to really process this before Haru claps his hands together and rubs them together, eagerly.

"Well, then! Who wants to roll their sleeves up first?" He has a strangely comical grin on his face. Something about it puts me on edge...

"Well, we already narrowed it down to Ino, Mitsu, Cho, Daisuke, Kimi, Miniro, Masashi, and Haru," Fumio points out. "So it's down to you guys, I guess. I mean, it could be completely wrong."

"In any case, that rules Mitsu out," Ayaka adds. "Her clothes do not cover her arms."

"This is ridiculous," sighs Ino, taking in the expectant looks from the rest of us. She rolls her eyes and lets out another deep sigh, nostrils flaring, as she unbuttons her sleeves and yanks them back, holding her arms out. "There," she says, turning her arms round so we can see the back of them. "Nothing more than a few freckles."

"Well, there ya go," Miniro says. "A few war wounds, though, to be fair..."

He isn't wrong – the scars that cover his arms are pale and slightly raised against the rest of his skin, all in strange, random lines. Seems like they've been accumulated from his years as a sailor out in the real world.

Haru tugs his sleeves back without a word, and does a sarcastic sort of jazz hands routine when we see his arms are clear, though for a second I do glimpse what looks like a large birthmark on his upper arm, just above where he's rolled his sleeves up to. He sees me staring and yanks his sleeves back down again.

Daisuke is next to go, and his arms are clear too. Kimi's are the same. We all turn to Masashi now, who is making no indication of rolling up his sleeves. Instead, he has his arms folded, and his nose stuck up in the air – with all the air of a child who's just been told off for misbehaving.

"You're not helping yourself any here, Masashi," Haru sighs. "Just show us your arms."

"I don't care," he says. "It's stupid."

"That's pretty much all you've had to say since we got here," Kaori sighs, putting her hands on her hips. "Stop being an asshole and just help!"

"Oh, for the love of..."

To everyone's surprise, Ino – who's stand is to the side of Masashi's – lunges over and grabs his coat sleeve, yanking it back, taking his shirt sleeve back with it. He's too shocked to respond at first, but once we've all at least managed a glimpse at his bare, unmarked arm, he bats her away – his eyeballs bulging almost as much as the vein that's suddenly appeared on his temple.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he roars. Ino leans back onto her stand and shrugs at him.

"I got impatient," she says with a wicked grin. "We've seen one arm though – might as well just show your other one."

I find myself fighting a smile. She might be a little hot-headed, and prone to shouting, but there was definitely a part of her that got a kick out of what she'd just done. Meanwhile, Masashi's still doing a good impression of a big-eyed frog, gawping at her. She gazes back at him, coolly. Finally, Masashi seems to falter and he silently pulls up his other sleeve, showing us all his other completely unmarked arm.

"And then there was one," Haru says, looking at Cho.

"Sure thing!" She gives us all a grin and throws her arms up, fists balled up, shaking them so that the baggy sleeves of her blackbelt uniform fall back to her elbows. We can all see her arms are unmarked.

"Well, that was..." Kaori starts.

"Anticlimactic," Yamato finishes. They nod at each other, like they've just agreed on some huge philosophical breakthrough.

Cho lowers her arms again and lets the sleeves slide back down, covering her arms, but that's when something catches my eye.

"Hey, Cho..." I say, can you roll back your left sleeve a second?"

"Hm?"

"She just did," Kaori frowns. "Her arms are clear, man!"

"Yeah, I know," I reply. "But... could you just roll your sleeve back again anyway? Like just tuck it up so we can see the inside of it."

"Um, why?" she asks, giving me a weird look. Did her eye just twitch?

"Just do it so we can move on, Cho," sighs Kimi.

Cho gives me a sharp look and then starts to roll up her sleeve. And there it is.

A small speck of dried blood, just there on the inside, just about level with her hand.

"But her arms are clear," Yuki frowns. "I don't get it."

"Because it wasn't her arm, was it?" I say, as the pieces suddenly all seem to fall into place. "It was your hand, right? He got your hand."

"What are you talking about?!" Cho protests. "I dunno what you mean."

"You're still clenching your fist," Haru points out. "Any reason for that?"

"What? No! 'Course not!"

"Then, you won't mind holding your hand up, right?" he says, that weird serious look back on his face. Cho's eye definitely twitches this time.

"I... I don't see why I should," she says. But finally, after no-one says anything, she lets out a long, slow breath and holds up her hand, spreading out her fingers and revealing a faint scratch mark on her hand. It's fairly recent by the looks of it – though the inside of her sleeve has definitely helped soak up some of the blood. She flicks some long, green hair away from her face and sighs. "I cut myself outside, okay? I just didn't think it was worth mentioning before."

"So why be so secretive about it?"

"Because I didn't want this to happen!" she snaps. "You can't pin this on me for something stupid like a scratch, surely?"

"Well, now that I think about it, that wouldn't be all that would suggest it was you," I say. "In fact, there's a few things that are adding up now."

Cho's yellow eyes flash dangerously at me. "Why are you framing me like this, Kei? You were real nice earlier on and now you're being an asshole!"

"So was Arata," Haru snaps, catching everyone offguard with his sudden fury. Especially after how distant he had been with us all before. "Arata was nice. That didn't stop you killing him."

"Wait, wait, wait, sorry, bit slow here," Yamato interrupts, waving his hands and looking generally apologetic, "bit of a backseat audience member here, trying to catch up with what the fuck's going on! Can someone explain?"

"Well, it looks like Kei and Haru are on a roll," Masashi says, leaning forward. "Care to explain?"

"No way!" Cho shouts. "I'm not letting you keep talking and twisting things to make me look like the bad guy!" She hammers her fist down on the stand in front of her. "I'm not being made to look guilty just because you've got some dumb fucking hunch! Not cool, guys!"

"It's more than a hunch," I reply. "And you know it!"

She points at me, accusingly. "I'm not gonna be a... a scapegoat!"

"Scapegoat?!" I frown.

"Well, yeah," she says, folding her arms. "You're trying to pin the blame on me just so we can get this over and done with, aren't ya!"

"Really?" Haru sighs. "Come on, Cho, just admit it."

"I'm not gonna admit to something I didn't do!" she yells. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Stupid enough to attempt to make a murder look like suicide, apparently," Haru says to her.

"Are you sure about this, Kei?" Miniro asks. "I... I don't know what to think."

Everyone's talking over one another again, and there's that same dull roar of voices making it hard to think. I'm trying to string words together – it all seems to make sense in my head, but if I say the wrong thing it could completely ruin my argument. And I know now. Of course I do. I should've known sooner. We'd all overlooked two things. Two vital pieces of evidence that could link back to Cho.

She was screaming at us now, absolutely livid – her eyes full of hatred. I don't know what I expected. I guess I thought she'd just give up... but of course, her life's on the line just as much as ours is. I close my eyes and focus, blocking everything else out for a moment.

Missing things.

Two missing things.

Two very significant missing things.

And Arata...

Poor Arata.

"The ligature, and the map of the Maze from Mitsu's notebook," I say, opening my eyes again. Everyone quietens down.

"The what?" Kimi asks.

"The ligature – the thing used to hold Arata back against the fountain by his neck," Ayaka explains to her. She looks to me. "But what is significant about it?"

"We never found it," I say. "We completely overlooked it. It left a mark in the frost and everything but none of us questioned where it was."

"And you have a theory of what... or where it is," Mitsu says. It's a statement, not a question.

"If I'm right," I say, "it's right here in this room."

"What do you mean?" gasps Yuki. "It can't be! None of us have been in here, right?"

"We've all been here for a while now," Haru replies. "He means someone took it in with them." He inclines his head over at Cho.

"You mean..." Ayaka realises.

"Hidden in plain sight," I say, not taking my gaze away from Cho's now. "She's wearing it."

"Oh, I get it!" Yamato says. "Her blackbelt!"

"R-Really?" Cho says, laughing nervously. "That's all you can come up with? You're clutching at straws with that one, man!"

"Yeah, y'know what, I admit that one might be kind of wobbly," I say. "But I'd still bet I'm right. Where else would it be? I don't think you planned on it going that way – I think you had to improvise, and keep him in place."

"For what it's worth, I agree with you," Haru shrugs.

"Okay, so that one goes on the maybe pile," Kaori says, "but what about this missing Map thing?"

"Well, okay, so the other day Mitsu, Miniro, Daisuke, Yuki, Cho, and I all went into the Maze together to explore it so that Mitsu could map it all out," I explain. "We all knew she was mapping it in her notebook as we went along. We've already ruled out that neither Yuki or I could have done it, and none of the other evidence we've got could really link Mitsu, Miniro, and Daisuke, which leaves Cho as the odd one out."

"But how would she have even got it out of the notebook?" Ino asks. "Mitsu always has it in her hand or in her bag, right?"

"Right," I nod. "And tonight at the Theatre it was in her bag. Right in between her and Cho's seats."

The room feels cold now, but sweat is still running down my back, and down my face. The others are all in similar conditions by the looks of things, and it's only now that I notice just how exhausted we all look. But still, there's that intensity in Cho's eyes as she glares at me.

"She had the timeframe for it; she had the strength for it; she had the opportunity to take the map; she had some excuse to get Arata alone – the ElectroID thing, right? And she's got that cut on her hand," Yamato lists everything off on his fingers. "I... I can't really argue with all that."

"Well, then," Monokuma chimes in suddenly, "how about our dear Kei Kamiya gives us a full closing argument so we can get the votin' goin'?"

"I hate to agree with the bear," sighs Mitsu, "but I think going over the case again from start to finish might clear everything up for everyone."

I take a deep breath. Here goes...

"Okay, so it all started when the culprit targeted Arata Summerfield to be their victim. They planned ahead of time – we know this because they forged the fake suicide note. Tonight at the Theatre, they put their plan into action.

"They wanted somewhere out of the way, where nobody could come to the rescue, and in the off-chance that someone did, the culprit would have alternative routes to hide or escape, and the Maze offered all that. The culprit knew that Mitsu had a map of the Maze in her notebook, and when they got their chance, they took it. This could have happened at any point during the film, or even just when Mitsu had went away for food or a drink.

"Now possessing the map, the culprit tried to set up a way of separating her chosen victim from everyone else. It was just lucky for her that her first attempt was successful, and a bunch of people needed to leave at the same time. Presumably it was around this time that they managed to steal Arata's ElectroID. He probably wouldn't notice until he got up into his own room.

"Once the others had all made it into their rooms, all it took was the culprit to make some excuse to lure Arata into the Maze, probably under some pretence of helping him find his ElectroID. Luring him into the centre of the Maze, the culprit attacks.

"Arata tries to defend himself, but only ends up scratching the culprit, but then his hand is broken in the fight. The culprit would easily have the advantage anyway, but this is when they are able to overpower him, knocking him down against the fountain. He manages to hit his head off of the fountain base during this, giving him a small head injury, and the culprit quickly improvises, using something, most likely the culprit's own blackbelt, to restrain Arata, choking him and leaving the bruising on his neck and the marking on the fountain base in the process.

"Now that Arata's probably passed out, or just too weak to move, the culprit uses the kitchen knife they've taken in advance and uses it to cut Arata's wrists. The culprit then quickly gets to work, taking the would-be ligature off of Arata's neck, and moving him over to the bench. There would still be some blood on the ground, but the culprit could easily just scuff that away with their shoes, leaving the scuffmarks in front of the fountain.

"Now that Arata's body's been moved to the bench, the culprit just needs to slip the fake suicide note into his pocket, and then place the kitchen knife into Arata's hand. What the culprit doesn't realise at this point, though, is that Arata's hand is broken, making it impossible for him to have used it himself.

"The culprit is then able to leave the Maze fairly quickly using the stolen map, and most likely hides near enough to the Theatre that nobody else coming in or out would be able to notice them until it suits them best for their alibi...

"And... I think that's it. I... I don't know what more there is to say."

I take another deep breath. My mouth feels dry. I feel like I've been talking for days. I look up across my stand and point at Cho. "It was you, Cho. It was you..."

"Well, that was sure convincing enough for me!" Monokuma cheers. "The end was a little hammy, but hey, one man's pastrami's another man's origami, or whatever."

"Wh-what does that even mean?" Yamato groans.

"Okay, y'know what, I know when I'm beat," Cho sighs. "Though you made it sound way more dramatic than it was, really, Kei... I mean, you're more or less bang on. I guess I wasn't as smart as I thought, huh?"

"Woohoo, an admission of guilt!" Monokuma cries. "And with that extra layer of murdery goodness, how 'bout we get a nice vote goin' for that cherry on top, huh?" He raises a paw skyward and the hologram in the middle of the room disappears. The screens around us all change to show our faces in some kind of slot machine set-up. Monokuma's all business now as he clears his throat.

"Ahem, Ultimate students, please use the menu screen appearing on your ElectroIDs to vote for who you think is guilty of this most heinous crime! And do be reminded that abstaining from voting could lead to some rather unpleasant punishments, 'kay?! Okay! Here... we... go!"

A lever appears next to his throne and he gives it a sharp pull. There's a weird trill from above, but I'm too focused on the screen in front of me to look up. Small icons of all sixteen of our faces are visible now. Arata's is grey, and scored out with a pixelated pink cross. I steady myself – I hadn't realised I was trembling – and press down on Cho's icon.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper under my breath. The words come out shaky, and I realise I'm holding back tears. I'm not completely sure who I'm apologising too either – Arata? Cho? Some deity? Myself?

There's a long, terrible moment where nothing happens. The chamber is silent... and then.

Like we're in a Vegas casino the images of the slot machines burst into life. The icons spin past each of us, time and time again, and we all watch in horrified fascination. There's a small ringing noise and the first slot stops, landing on Cho's icon, lit up green. A few more seconds pass, and another small ring... the second slot lands. Cho again... These last few seconds seem to draw out forever, until finally...

Ring...

Cho for a third time.

The slot machine erupts in a joyous tweeting and ringing – practically shaking from the vibrations.

With a final ringing, the slot machine disappears, and the image changes to suddenly display a camera view of all of us. It seems to be below us somewhere – though I can't make anything out from here...

"Well, there ya go, everyone!" Monokuma cheers. "That's that! Cho Saiki, the Ultimate Blackbelt, was responsible for the murder of Arata Summerfield, the Ultimate Lucky Student!"

"But, why, Cho?" asks Yamato. "Why would you kill him?"

Cho slumps, truly defeated now. "Y'know... he just seemed like the easiest pick. I... guess part of me kind of hoped that him being the Ultimate Lucky Student would mean some of his luck would rub off on me. Or maybe I'd get caught before I could... I dunno." She looks up at us now, with a kind of... sad smile. "Is that weird? Probably." She shrugs. "Oh, well. I guess it doesn't matter now. Do I get like... a last meal or something?"

Monokuma's eyes seem to boggle at her.

"Are you for real?" he cackles. "Hell, only reason I haven't started the punishment is there's a little something we need to do first!"

He presses a hidden control in his throne and all of our stands lower slowly back to the floor with an oscillating whine of power. I stagger a little, but manage to steady myself from falling on my ass. The screens, and the weird ice-blue lights in the floor pulse ominously, and Monokuma rises from his throne, bouncing over sideways to land beside the Monowheel.

I'd completely forgotten about that stupid thing. The motive for this whole sick game. Could Cho really have killed Arata over a dumb wheel of fortune?

"What do we all think?" Monokuma asks. "Ready to spiiiin the wheel? But who shall it be... who shall it be..." His red eye flashes as an idea seems to form in his mind. "How about we let Cho choose? Think of it as your last request! And remember, not all of the Monowheel's options are good!"

As if on cue, the question mark symbols on the Monowheel peel away, revealing some new options... Two say 'Spin Again'. Two say 'Replace'... I have a horrible feeling I know what that means.

Cho looks over at the wheel, and then round the circle of stands. She still has that sad smile on her face... Has she already accepted her fate? But wait, no... nothing's quite set in stone yet, is it? The Monowheel... it's all up to luck now... Is this where she thinks Arata's luck might come in?

Finally, she raises her arm and points. Points to me.

"I guess it's only fair that Kei does it," she says. Her voice is calm, but there's a suggestion of something else. Is she... is she excited to see what happens next? Wait, she just said my name...

"An excellent choice!" Monokuma nods, enthusiastically. "I like that symmetery! Killer and captor! C'mon, Sherlock – the Monowheel's waitin'!"

The room is silent now... Everyone looks from Cho, to Monokuma, to me... I know there's no use defying him at this point. It's only going to end in more trouble... But even still, just as I thought we were safe, here I am again – walking into a potentially life-threatening situation.

My footsteps echo across the floor as I walk off of the central dais where the stands are, and approach the small area by the wall where the Monowheel is set up. My legs feel like jelly. Monokuma's waiting – rubbing his paws together as he savours the moment. He stomps the floor and a small opening appears. Through the opening appears a wide, silver stand with a large red button on top of it. The button pulses, putting me in mind of some kind of bomb.

"Well then, Kei," Monokuma says, "deep breath! Shoulders back! Stand at the side here – it's your big moment! The final formality of the First Class Trial! Bit of tension's good for the blood... probably. Anything you'd like to say, Ms Saiki?"

She's still smiling... like she really is in the audience of a game show. I find myself wondering, was she really like this all along? She'd seemed kind of loud and childish, but... she'd seemed nice. Now, looking at her, it's like she's someone else. She seems older now, somehow.

"Well," she says, slowly, "I suppose it's up to chance now. Let's see who Arata's Ultimate Luck is with, Kei. You... or me..."

"Eloquently put," Monokuma nods, approvingly. "Now, on with the show! Mr Kamiya, if you will!"

I'm frozen to the spot, meeting Cho's gaze. Why won't she stop smiling like that?! I can feel my heart pounding – it feels like it's lodged in my throat... My mouth's still dry. My hands are shaking – hovering just above the big red button, that seems to pulse in rhythm with the thud of my heartbeat.

"I... I don't..." I stammer.

"Get a move on, kid!" Monokuma hisses at me. "Either you press it now, or I press it for you – and trust me, you don't wanna know what I'll do to you for makin' me do that!"

I fight a shudder, and gaze up at the Monowheel. Despite it's cheery lights and its gimmicky design, it really does scare me now. Is it about to sign my death warrant?

Thud!

I don't even realise I've punched the button til I see the Wheel start to spin, each segment clicking off of the small marker arrow at the top as it passes. I feel sick, and dizzy. I can't quite catch a breath. It's like before... when I saw Arata's body. The vertigo comes in waves, and I find myself clutching the podium now just to keep myself standing.

The Wheel spins... on and on and on. And now it's starting to slow. I can hear a faint laughter from behind me. I don't need to look to know it's Cho. Was it this place? Had this place done this to her? I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. Just the words and symbols spinning in front of me...

It's going to stop. I can't breathe. It's nearly over. It's going to stop on 'Replace'. Fuck!

Please, please, please, please...

I close my eyes.

Another click...

God, I'm fucked!

Another click...

Do I open my eyes?

Another click...

It's going to stop, isn't it?

A final click.

She's still laughing...

I open one eye, slowly. And my heart sinks.

"Well, well, well," Monokuma says, "looks like you get to spin again, Kei!"

And he's right. The Monowheel's stopped on a 'Spin Again', right next to one of the 'Replace' sections. I feel like I'm gonna throw up, though I also still feel like my heart's trying to leap out my mouth first. I don't have time to think about it. All I can hear is Cho's laughter... and then the clicking of the Wheel as I hit the button again.

I don't dare to watch this time. I can't. It's too much to take in. She's laughing louder and louder, getting more and more frantic. It's like she's gone crazy. Is she... laughing because she knows I'm going to die? Because she knows she is? I... I don't know.

Click, click, click, click, click...

Click, click, click, click...

Click, click, click...

Click, click...

Click!

The Wheel seems to settle with a dramatic boom. I'm overly aware of the sweat misting my face and my palms... I open my eyes again.

"Plus One!" cries Monokuma. "Plus One! We have a Plus One!" He's right again, of course. The Wheel's stopped on the section that says '+1'. But I realise... I don't even know what that means. Is that good? Is it bad? I think the adrenaline's burning out my panic now. I just want to run – even though my legs just aren't responding.

"So what does that mean?" Cho asks. She's stopped laughing now, but I can hear the amusement in her voice. She's won. In some way she's won, even after losing it all. "What's the reward?"

Monokuma ignores her. "And now that that is over and done with, I take great pleasure on moving on to the final formality of the Class Trial: the punishment!"

"N-no, wait, what does the reward mean?!" Cho cries. "Does that mean he dies too?"

"I've prepared a very special punishment for Cho Saiki, the Ultimate Blackbelt!" He throws his paws wide, his demonic grin widening even now. "Let's give it everything we've got – iiiiit's Punishment Time!"

"No! Wait! I want to know!" Cho roars. "I want to know what the prize was! I need to know! I'm not asking for forgiveness or mercy. But I need to know who won! I need to knoooow!"

She's frantic now, but there's nothing she can do, as a chain seems to erupt through one of the sets of curtains behind her, and a clamp snaps around her neck. We all watch in horror as she scrabbles at the clamp for a second, only to be dragged off her feet as the chain yanks her back at a breakneck speed.

I fall to the floor, only able to look up in horror at one of the enormous screens above, which has changed to display a title in big, bloody writing.

* * *

 **The Punishment of the Ultimate Blackbelt**

 **The Warrior's Walk**

Cho is in a long, empty room, that looks to be some sort of dojo. The chain around her neck stretches across the entire length of the dojo floor, disappearing through a gap in the wall. There's a sickening crunch, and the chain starts to retract into the wall ever so slightly, dragging Cho a pace or so forwards.

It happens again. It's slow, and rhythmic at first. She's struggling with it, still trying to pry at the clamp around her neck, still trying to resist the pull of the chain. And she's so distracted with this that she's caught offguard.

The floor and ceiling suddenly open up in multiple places. Practice dummies shoot up from the floor all around her, while several swing down like pendulums on the end of ropes, all in her path. They're full of sharp blades and enormous shards of broken glass. And they're spinning...

The chain retracts again, and Cho is pulled forwards, slicing her arm on one of the practice dummies' protruding blades. She screams out in pain as blood starts to run down her arm, staining her uniform. But that's just the start. The chain is still retracting, pulling her on through the horrifying path. A stab in her side. Her arm. A cut in her face. She's in the path of one of the swinging dummies now, and she raises her arms up to protect her, screaming out in agony as a large shard of glass stabs right into her arm.

She doesn't have the chance to stop though. The chain is still retracting, pulling her with it. With bloody fists, she dislodges herself from the dummy and keeps going, leaving splashes of blood in her wake.

Again and again, she's battered with the dummies and their weapons. She's near the end now... If she can just make it to the end of the room... Just a few more steps...

But then the floor at the end of the room opens up, revealing a pit. And she's being dragged straight towards it. She's weak, bloodied and battered, but she can still try and resist. There's only one last dummy between her and the pit – if she can avoid it...

She doesn't see the large blade in the dummy's leg until it's already pierced through hers. She screams out, eyes wide and bloodshot – tears running down her face as her legs are skewered through together. The blade relinquishes from the dummy's grasp and she's dragged on, unable to move her legs now...

She's too weak to resist by the time the chain reaches the pit, and she falls a couple of feet – her neck snapping with a terrible noise as the chain around her neck locks into place... Her body hangs limply, now just as silent and beaten as the practice dummies that surround her...

* * *

"I... I..."

I feel bile rising in my throat. I haven't been able to look away the entire time – frozen to the floor. I've never seen anything so horrible in my life. I've never seen someone die... Like... only in films and stuff but...

There's screaming and shouting all around. I can't see it. My eyes are stinging with tears. I didn't even think I had enough energy left to cry. She might have done a terrible thing, but... I wouldn't have chose that for her. Not in a million years.

But I did, didn't I?

It might have saved everyone else's life, but I was responsible. I'd exposed the truth, and it had lead to this. We were all responsible, in a way.

"Well, now that's over and done with," Monokuma says, breezily, "how about we move onto your reward, huh?" He looms over me. "Plus one. You know what that means, don't you?"

I don't even have it in me to speak. I try to move my lips, but there just aren't any words. Not now. Not anymore.

"Don't kill him," someone says. "Please. No more."

Monokuma straightens up and cackles.

"Nah, I was just screwin' with ya! Don't worry, Kamiya, you're safe for another day! I'll let ya all know what the big reward is tomorrow morning, bear's honour! For now, I'd say our business is concluded here, yup! The Maze will have reset by the time you all return, which you can do via the elevator when you're all ready! Bye for now, bastards!"

And with that, he's gone.

The trial ground is silent. No-one knows what to say or do. All I can do is shakily push myself up off of the floor. I take a few steps and stumble, falling to my hands and knees. Soundlessly, Miniro is at my side, and helps me up again.

"Are you okay to walk?" he says to me quietly. I think I nod... I'm not certain. I feel too numb. He puts his arm round me and takes my other arm, and helps me walk slowly over to the elevator. The others trail silently behind, filing along behind us one-by-one. Kaori nudges the button and the doors fling open with a deafening clash. I flinch at the noise and Miniro pats my shoulder gently, walking me inside.

* * *

I don't remember much after that. It's all a sort of dull roar in my head when I think about it now. But I'm just slumped in a chair by the fire in the Common Room now. We're all here – silent and in shock.

No-one says a word. There's nothing anyone can say, really. All that's on my mind are thoughts of Arata and Cho. She'd killed him over a lottery. He'd died for nothing. He didn't deserve that. No-one did.

"I... I'm going to bed," Masashi sighs, finally. "Um, before I go though, I... I want to say..." He looks down at his feet. "Fucking... I... never mind."

And he stalks off in the direction of the stairs to the dormitories. A few of the others say their farewells, quiet and subdued, and disappear to their rooms one-by-one. I can't move though. Not quite yet.

All I have left of my classmates are flashes of blood and terror.

I don't know when exactly I finally manage to slip into a fitful sleep on the chair, but it doesn't matter – it doesn't last long. The first rays of sunlight start to creep in through the Common Room windows – soft and warm. Completely at odds with the events of the night that preceded it.

I let out a long, shaky breath. I feel like I've been holding it in for hours. Mitsu is still awake in the corner of the room, still scribbling away in her notebook. Daisuke is asleep on the couch, with Yuki leaned in against him, and Miniro at her other side.

I did it though, I think to myself, a little guiltily. I did it... I lived to see the morning.

But if I thought that the dawn of a new day would bring some sense of stability and normality to our lives after our first nightmarish few days here, I was wrong. I didn't think that anything in this Castle could surprise me anymore than I already had been...

And then it surprised me again...

* * *

 **CHAPTER 01 – END**

 **14 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	7. Chapter 02: Despairborne (I)

Daylight doesn't bring much joy with it. I'm achy and tired, and my brain still doesn't seem to be processing things properly. Rising from the chair, I unzip my hoodie and roll my shirtsleeves up, tucking the hoodie under my arm as I cross the Common Room towards Mitsu.

"You look awful," she says, quietly, looking me over with bleary eyes.

"Thanks," I murmur. "I need coffee. Do you want anything?"

She shakes her head and then sighs. "I don't know." She drops her pen down against the table with a faint clatter. The noise stirs Yuki for a moment, and she mumbles something about hairbrushes before falling back into a deep sleep.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, knowing the answer. Mitsu manages to attempt a smile, but doesn't answer. Instead, she slides her pen and notebook back into the bag at her side and quietly rises from her seat.

"Let's get coffee," she says.

* * *

We make our way down to the Entrance Hall without a word between us. The brackets aren't lit yet, but the morning sun shining in through the windows far above us light our path in shafts of bright colour, tinted by the stained glass.

Our footsteps echo around us, and for once the long, low sounds of the castle's emptiness doesn't bother me. I'm too numb to be bothered by something like that now. It already feels emptier without... without them.

I hold the door open to the Dining Hall for Mitsu and she nods her thanks. It isn't until we're down in the Kitchens, with the comforting glow of the fluroscent lights illuminating every corner of our surroundings, that we finally talk.

"How do you feel about... about everything?" she asks me, as I dazedly turn on the kettle. My body feels like it's on autopilot, and my brain isn't far from it either. I'm talking before I've even thought about the question.

"I feel evil."

I have my back to her, but I can feel her gaze – can hear her confusion as she echoes, "Evil?"

"Guilty, I guess," I say, still not looking at her. "Our actions – my actions – lead to someone being killed."

"But we had to," Mitsu says, quietly. "I... I understand what you mean but, at the end of the day, it was something we had to do."

"That doesn't make it right," I protest, running a hand through my hair. "I... I'm going to have to think about that for the rest of my life. We all are."

"That's true," she nods. "But would you have rather that the rest of us had been killed and she had got away?"

"All I wanted was for all of us to get out of this alive," I sigh. "And we've lost two people in one night. How... how am I meant to even process that?"

"I don't think it's a thing you process," she says, quietly. "It's... it's just something you accept, Kei."

The kettle hisses and clicks at me, and the water in it finally finishes boiling. I don't know what to say – there's too much to say, frankly. Instead, I busy myself with setting up two mugs on the counter in front of me. Nothing I touch feels particularly real. I prepare the coffee in silence and pass her mug to her, steam drifting lazily off of the surface of it as she brings it to her mouth for a gentle sip.

Neither of us say anything now – we just lean against the counters in tired calmness, despite my brain lapsing in and out of million mile per hour bursts of reflection and panic. Part of me knows Mitsu's right – it is just something we have to accept. But... how can it be so simple? I doubt it ever could be.

I barely even look up as I hear the sound of approaching footsteps from the staircase, but a moment later, I hear someone clear their throat to announce their presence and I glance up.

"I... apologise if I'm interrupting – I needed to get some water." It's Blessing – her long hair tied up in a high ponytail. She looks pretty exhausted. I don't think anyone's going to be in their best condition today.

"No worries," I tell her. "Are you sure you don't want a coffee or something? Kettle's just boiled."

"That would be nice, in fact," she nods. "Thank you, Kei."

It only takes me a couple of seconds to sort her drink out, and she takes the mug from me gratefully.

"I thought maybe once I got into my room I would be able to sleep," she says. "But I've just been lying awake staring at the ceiling. It... it wasn't helping very much."

"I can't imagine it would," Mitsu says, sympathetically.

We lapse back into silence, besides the quiet background hum of the kitchen goods. A few minutes later, the familiar toll of the bells ring out through the Castle, followed by Monokuma's Morning Announcement.

Ding dong, ding doooong!

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

I manage a sigh, and take the kettle over to the sink, emptying out the remains of the boiled water and refilling it with fresh water from the cold tap, picking up more cups from the cupboard. The others would be on their way down soon, most likely, and really, I could just do with the distraction of making more drinks. If anything's real to me right now, it's the soft clink of teaspoons and the steam from the kettle. The smell of coffee and cool metal.

Blessing and Mitsu help me carry the cups over to the dumbwaiter. I remember whose is whose, and set them out at their usual places at the table. I haven't had to make a drink for Masashi or Haru before, so I've taken an educated guess with them. I doubt anyone's feeling particularly picky this morning anyway.

* * *

Part of me is still surprised when everyone trails downstairs a few minutes later – including Masashi and Haru. Everyone looks pretty rough – dressed down, with messy hair, and dull eyes. Kimi seems to have fared the best out of everyone though – her make-up is as flawless as ever, and besides a few flyaways, her hair is more or less perfectly in place.

They all thank Blessing, Mitsu, and I, and we take our places at the table to drink with them.

"Should... should we talk about yesterday?" asks Kaori. A few people look up from their drinks. "Sorry, was that a dumb suggestion?"

"I don't think it's a bad idea," says Mitsu. I feel like she's looking at me as she adds, "It might help us work things out."

"Could I say something first?"

We all look up in varying degrees of mild surprise as Masashi speaks up. He's staring into the depths of his coffee, morosely, but when he finally looks up at us, his eyes are shiny and wet as tears begin to brim around his eyes. It's like... fuck, I don't even know how to describe it. He looks like a lost kid, all of a sudden. His hard-faced front is completely gone, and now he just looks broken.

"I owe you all an apology," he says. "I've been... I've been blind. I didn't know what to think, even during everything happening last night. With... with Arata being dead, and then... then even with the Trial I just kept telling myself it wasn't the real deal. And then we had to vote for... for her. And she did a terrible thing, but she... fuck... I can't... I'm sorry – I just didn't want any of it to be real!"

He puts his hands up to cover his face and lets out a choked sob. No-one is sure what to say or do for a moment, until I find myself speaking up.

"It's alright, Masashi," I tell him. "We're... we're all under a lot of pressure, and we all have our own way of dealing with being in such a messed up situation." I take a deep breath. "We know the consequences now – the full consequences. We know we have to stick together now, no matter what."

"Y-you're right," Daisuke nods. "We can't let what happened to A-Arata and Cho happen again."

"Yeah!" Kaori agrees, punching the air. "Well said, man!"

"Spoken like a true leader," Haru murmurs with a small smile. I shake my head.

"No way, don't go putting responsibility like that on me," I say, waving my hands in protest.

"Whatever you say, boss," teases Yamato, grinning now.

"Guys!" I groan, though I'm smiling back at them now. The mood's lifted – just a little. Just enough that we just might make it through the rest of the morning without incident-

"Hey, bastards!"

Every goddamn time...

Monokuma bounces up onto the head of the table and gives us all a wave.

"It's... definitely something seeing you all in such high spirits," he says. "Especially after the oh-so-tragic loss of your two lil' buddies. Pity that Saiki got a little greedy, and that Summerfield was so naive, but that's the way the cookie gets executed, I guess." He's in full on monologue mode now, despite our angry looks. "You take the game too seriously, or not seriously enough, and you end up a culprit or a corpse! It's a sad state of affairs, ain't it?"

He sighs and stares off into the distance for a moment, and then snaps back to attention, startling Daisuke, who knocks over his mug. It rolls off the side of the table and hits the cold, stone floor, shattering on impact. There's a few winces around the table – Daisuke looks miserable; Monokuma looks mildly irritated.

"That'll end up on your permanent record, y'know," he says. "But anywho, I'm not here to gloat or reminisce on the stupidity of others – I have that scheduled in the diary for sometime later! Instead, I'm here to reward you all!"

"Reward us?" Ino frowns. "I doubt I'd want any reward you have in mind."

"Think again, Lil' Miss Anger Management," Monokuma retorts. "I think you'll all be pretty excited at this! Now listen up, good and proper, 'kay? You all listening? Good! Well, I'll explain..." He clears his throat. "Every time you shmucks survive a Class Trial here, more areas of the Castle will be available to you. So as acknowledgement of you bastards surviving your very first Class Trial, I'm now gonna open off another couple of floors! Some other areas too, but that's up to you guys to find out – I can't do everything for ya! Now go explore – explore to your little hearts' content!"

And before anyone could speak again, he bounces away out of sight in an instant, leaving the mood probably just about where it had been when everyone arrived.

"He has to ruin everything, huh?" Yuki moans, flicking the side of her mug.

"Here, before we do anything," Miniro says, "let's get this cleaned up."

Daisuke still hasn't moved – he seems spaced out all of a sudden. His eyes look all glazed over and it looks like he's having to make an effort to breathe.

"Daisuke, are you alright?" Yuki asks, gently. He manages a stiff nod.

"Is he having like a panic attack or something like that?" Yamato asks.

"Something like that," Ayaka nods, sympathetically. "It is best that we just give him some space."

"Miniro and I will stay with him," volunteers Blessing. "The rest of you can get a head start on looking around upstairs, if you like!"

"Hey, yeah, we might even find some other way to get out of here!" Yamato beams. "Well, we'll leave it to you guys! I hope you're okay, man!"

We rise from our seats and leave the rest of the mugs, filing out as quick as we can. I glance back as I pass through the door to see Blessing move round to sit a little closer to Daisuke, and Miniro looking a little lost, like he doesn't quite know what to do. I don't blame him – it's easy to feel helpless in this place...

* * *

I step out into the Entrance Hall with the others, closing the door behind me. We're all sort of clustered in a circle as we go over the plan of action.

"Well, those three might need a little while," Mitsu says, "so I propose the rest of us do what Blessing suggested and get to searching the Castle again. If Monokuma's telling the truth, we have at least two more floors to investigate."

"And there should be other places too, right?" Yuki adds. "There were a couple of locked rooms in the towers, I think..."

"Then it's well worth checking them all out," Yamato agrees. "What d'you think, boss?" He looks at me, smirking again.

"Hey, if that's how it's gonna be, I resign," I shrug. "I was put into power against my will."

"Well, as much as I'm enjoying the amateur theatrical hour," Haru says, teasingly, "I'm gonna get a headstart upstairs. See you all."

And he walks off. We all look up after him for a moment, and then decide to split things up. Masashi agrees to go with Mitsu, Ayaka, and Fumio and check over the first couple of floors again to see what new places might have opened up down here. Meanwhile, Yamato and Kaori volunteer to search the Grounds again, leaving me, Yuki, Kimi, and Ino to head up to investigate the new floors with Haru.

With our destinations in mind, we split up, agreeing to meet up back in the Common Room once we've finished our individual searches.

* * *

The iron bars that had blocked us from getting up past the first floor had disappeared when we arrived at the landing. Glancing up, I could just make out a few holes in the bottom of the landing above us. Seems the bars must have slid upwards when Monokuma wanted us to check this floor.

There's a weird sense of unease as we climb the staircase up to the next floor. Just like with the first floor, there's a small balcony leading onto the second floor, and then a set of stairs leading up to the next floor.

"What do you guys wanna do?" I ask. "Split up and do a floor each, or just do it together?"

"Let's go together," Yuki says. Kimi and Ino look like they couldn't care less either way, so I don't push the point, and just nod my agreement, opening the door with a gentle push and holding it open for the three of them.

The second floor landing is different from the first floor's. Instead of the couches and bookcases, there are several study desks pressed up against the walls in alcoves, and weird mural designs of zodiac signs painted across the stone walls. The light in here is almost like moonlight – dim and atmospheric, but far less artificial than the fluroscent lights and burning brackets that brighten up the lower floors. I can't quite make out the light source either, but I imagine it took someone a lot of effort to get right.

The landing branches off in four different ways. There are three openings that branch off into corridors at the sides of the room, and a large set of double doors at the far end, marked with a golden plaque labelled 'Library'. There was a motto written in Latin below it, that should have said 'Transit umbra, lux permanet', but someone – most likely Monokuma – had taken some time at scraping over it, replacing it with 'Transit lux, umbra permanet'.

"Hilarious," Ino says in a completely deadpan voice after reading it. I join her at the door.

"You know Latin?" I ask, a little surprised. "What's it say?"

"It's meant to say: Shadow passes, light remains," she replies with a roll of her eyes. "Guess what it says now."

"Light passes, shadow remains, right?" I sigh. That definitely sounds like Monokuma's handiwork.

"The more you know, huh?" Yuki says, brightly. "Let's check it out!" She strides between us and pushes the doors open wide with a faint thud as they hit off the walls. The four of us file in, and I find my breath hitch a little at the room before us.

Massive is an understatement. Gargantuan comes a little closer. This castle's geography really screws with my head, but this is something else... Its like standing in between a bunch of polished wooden skyscrapers, small lamps hanging from small iron plates and lighting up the walkways far above like fireflies. There's no windows, so there's no daylight, and I can only see a few yards ahead in the gloom, but then the bookshelves part, branching off in other directions. It's an uneasy reminder of the Maze outside – of finding Arata's body... I hug myself a little to fight the shiver that runs through me.

It's like no other library I've been in before – it's more like a church or something. I feel like... I feel like even breathing in here is breaking some unspoken sacred rule. It's not a scary place though – it's weirdly comforting – all smells of polished wood, and paper, and ink.

Yuki is running her fingers along the spines of the books as we pass through the maze of shelving, while Kimi and Ino seem to share disinterested glances at each other from time to time. I wonder what they're both thinking – they're both pretty impossible to get a read on.

We walk in silence, nothing but the faint noises of our footsteps ringing out as we tour the incredible Castle Library. For a second I almost forget how bad our situation is – just enjoying the calm atmosphere and the scent of books.

We pass little concealed reading areas, set up with tables and chairs. There are alcoves with heavy brass lamps, and doorways that lead off onto reading rooms. There isn't much to look at in any of them in particular, though there's a nice little set up with a fireplace that I make a mental note to hunt out if I'm planning on spending a few hours in here with a book.

"Must we search all of these balconies?" Kimi sighs fifteen minutes later as we head along another walkway. There's only another two left to go – we're actually pretty high up as it is. Weirdly enough, we've found more reading rooms further up, leaving me to seriously question the castle architect. I consider mentioning this to Ino, but decide against it. She's looking a little... no, in fact, she just always looks like that. Still a talk best left for later.

"Well, we've came this far!" Yuki points out. "We're waaay high up! Let's keep going!"

"If we must," Kimi replies, irritably, marching ahead of us. Yuki and I exchange confused looks, and we both look to Ino, who ignores us and strolls off in the same direction.

"Did we... do something?" I ask. Yuki pats my arm, consolingly and gives me a wise nod.

"In most cases, someone's always doing something," she says.

"Um... right," I frown, trying to hide my smile. "Very... very profound."

She looks at me in disbelief for a moment and then her face splits into a grin.

"I'm joking, dummy!" she chuckles. "C'mon, there's no use us trailing behind – that'll definitely piss 'em off!"

I slide my hands in the pockets of my jeans and follow along after her as she bounces along the walkway after the other two.

The rest of our search doesn't last too long, ending at the top of the last balcony. We're five levels high now, just able to make out the tops of the bookshelves around us. It's pretty impressive to look down from the top here, like looking over a scale model of a wooden city under the cover of night – the lamps that light the walkways like stars above.

Seems not everyone's appreciating it as much as I am though.

"Well, that was a tremendous waste of time," Kimi grunts. "Let's head back down."

"Hey, wait – look at that!" Yuki says, pointing downwards. "There's a door!"

I squint down, trying to make it out through the gloom, and I realise she's right. Far below us, towards the far end of the Library, there are some smaller shelves, probably only about eight feet or so high. Some of them have been slid into place to form a wall, blocking off the rest of the Library from a small annex area, and like Yuki says, a door, leading off who-knows-where.

"Hey, Ino," I say, "you said something about seeing the Castle's blueprints when we first met, right?"

"Mhm," she says, leaning against the banister and gazing down at the shelved-off area with an intense kind of curiosity. "If you want to know where it goes you're out of luck, though." She straightens up and shrugs. "I don't remember seeing a door on the blueprints here at all."

"Weird..." I murmur. "Okay, let's go check it out then!"

"Is that... safe?" Kimi asks, flicking a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Don't know til we look!" Yuki insists, and rockets off along the walkway back in the opposite direction.

"Do we have to run?" Ino groans. I shake my head.

"Don't worry, I'll go after her," I say. "You two can catch up downstairs!"

Part of me wonders, as I run off after Yuki, whether leaving Kimi and Ino alone is for the best. Are they a perfect pair, or are they just going to set each other off in one earth-shattering row? I don't know which would scare me more...

* * *

Yuki's already standing in front of the smaller shelves at the back of the Library when I finally pick my way through the labyrinth of bookcases, rubbing at her chin like she's deep in thought.

"Wanna know what I think, Kei?" she says.

"Go for it," I nod, stepping over beside her to face the shelves.

"I'm thinking... super cool secret book switch," she replies. She looks up at me to gauge my reaction and I manage a nod.

"In this place, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised," I admit, scratching the side of my face. I turn to her. "Wanna give it a shot?"

Her eyes light up, and she's grabbing for books in a flash. I join her, shifting books out of the shelves from left to right. Yuki's method is a little more random – pulling at books all over the place. One overzealous pull brings a battered hardback copy of Great Expectations dangerously close to smacking me on the head, and she returns it to the shelf with a sheepish look.

Kimi and Ino arrive a few minutes later, to learn we haven't had much luck.

"Have you tried something besides the books?" Ino asks.

"Oh..." I pause. "No, I can't say we have."

She shoves past me and presses her ear up against the side of the bookcase, before gently rapping her knuckles off of the wood. She wrinkles her nose and tries again, a little lower this time. And again. And again.

On her fifth knock, she steps away and gives us a smirk of satisfaction, stepping between Yuki and I and approaching the dead centre of the bookcase. She places her hand on the actual shelf, below the book in the dead centre, probably exactly in line with where she had knocked. There was a click, and I could just make out a tiny piece of the shelf slide back, like it was a button. There's a dull rumble and the entire shelf starts to shift aside – gliding away like the hedges in the Maze had done before.

"Okay..." I murmur. "That was cool."

"How'd'you know how to do that?!" Yuki cries.

"Tricks of the trade," Ino says, suddenly back to her usual steely demeanour. She strolls through the opening left behind by the bookcase, which has now came to a halt. We follow after her, keen to find out what lies beyond the plain wooden door ahead of us.

"Here, you do it," Kimi insists, pointing from me to the door handle, one we're all gathered around it.

"Why me?" I protest.

"Don't bother," groans Ino, reaching for the handle. We all look on in dismay, collectively holding our breath as her hand grasps it and she turns it. And then nothing happens. Oh, thank god.

"Well, that was terribly underwhelming," says Kimi, drily.

"Wait a sec," Ino grunts. "It's not locked. There's something blocking it from the back." She shoulders the door a few times. "It... won't... budge."

"Let's try together!" Yuki cries, charging forwards full-pelt. She hits the door full force and gets thrown back a few feet, looking a little winded. "Okay, I'm out – your turn, Kei."

"Um... okay, sure."

Suddenly, I feel pretty self-conscious as the three of them look at me expectantly. I remember reading somewhere that if you're trying to get through a door that won't budge, it's best to aim for a spot close to the handle, so I try that with a determined kick. And another.

And when nothing happens after the third kick I step away from it with a groan.

"What about the sailor?" Kimi asks. "He's easily the strongest of us all – this shouldn't be much of a problem for him. Be a darling and go get him, will you, Kei?"

Me again? I guess there's no use complaining – even if the caffeine in my body's starting to wear off, and that dull ache of fatigue is creeping back up on me.

"Yeah, sure thing – I'll be as quick as I can if you guys wanna wait here!"

"That was rather the point," Kimi says, folding her arms.

I nod and turn to walk away. "Of course it was," I mutter under my breath.

* * *

I get down to the Ground Floor a few minutes later and make my way into the Hall to find it empty. I guess Daisuke must have been feeling a little better, and the three of them have got back to searching the rest of the Castle.

There's something about that door that feels off to me, I think as I head back out into the Entrance Hall. Like it was hidden for a reason. But it was like it was hidden in plain sight. And Monokuma hasn't made any sort of appearance yet. It could be important, or it could be nothing. I don't know what to make of it at all yet, really...

I decide to head back up to the Second Floor and look around for them there. My search takes about ten minutes, and at first all I find is more classrooms and storage cupboards, but just as I'm starting to get confused at the sheer amount of rooms in this place, I come across a set of glass doors that are marked 'Science Lab'.

I decide to take a look in, just on the off-chance that they're in here. It's pretty cold and sterile in here. It sort of looks like the average science classroom, except maybe with a dash of sci-fi added to it. The four desks that run along the majority of the room are about twenty feet in length, with blue lights running along underneath it, and bulky white devices and fridge units placed along them at various intervals. There's a weird sense of controlled chaos in here. The multi-coloured chemicals in the fridges are all of different colours, and in different shapes and sizes of botttles, but that kind of adds to the look of it; and the spools of wires and cables that erupt from the spaces in the desks and ceiling, hooking up all the machines to an unseen power supply are just contained enough that they aren't completely out of control.

I venture across the black stone floor – the footfalls of my boots echoing around me – and make my way over to the far end of the room, where there's a big metal door, kind of like the pantry downstairs in the Kitchen. As I approach, the handle of the metal door twitches and the door swings open with a hydraulic hiss. Plumes of icy cold steam shoot out and I step back as the icy vapour dissipates away, and Haru steps out, inspecting me with a blank expression as we meet eyes.

"Oh, it's you," he says, after a long moment.

"Probably," I say. "Um, how's the search going?"

"Nothing too exciting so far," he says. "You?

"There's a weird hidden door at the back of the Library," I tell him. "I was trying to find Miniro, cos there's something budging it shut from the other side."

"Cool," he says, simply. The way he's looking at me... it's like I'm barely there. "I suppose I might check it out in a bit. See you later."

And with that, he breezes past me, off in the direction of the doors. I look round at his retreating figure in disbelief. After everything that happened yesterday he's back to being weird with me again? I kind of want to shout after him, but... maybe he's just trying to process things at his own pace. Even though Haru seems like the last person to get upset over something, I don't want to push it.

I don't bother looking in the walk-in freezer. I just let the door close over behind me and head back out, in search of Miniro.

* * *

After my run in with Haru in the Science Lab, I head upwards to the Third Floor.

The landing is deserted. It's larger than the other landings below, and a little more extravagant. There's a fancy candelabra hanging from the ceiling, the glass twinkling gently at the breeze from the door I had opened to come in from the Staircase. There are plush royal blue couches, and painstakingly engraved display tables hosting expensive looking vases and lamps. Thick blue tapestries are hanging from the walls, alongside enormous paintings in elaborate frames. One of the paintings appears to be Monokuma posing as the Mona Lisa. Ugh.

I start my search by entering the doorway closest to me, bringing me along yet another gloomy corridor. It's architecture is pretty similar to the corridor I had first walked down after waking up on the First Floor. The only difference is that the flames burning in the brackets here are blue. There's something weirdly soothing about it...

Before I get too distracted, I start my search a room at a time. Once again, for the first stretch of corridor, all I get is classroom after classroom. But at the end of the corridor there's a slightly larger door that opens onto a large Hall that branches off in several directions. The geography in this place is frying my head, jeez. There are several large pillars reaching up towards the ceiling, with suits of armour placed in front of each of them, like they're guarding the room. There's definitely something kind of eerie about them. Like they're all just gonna come to life or something. Ugh.

I fight a shudder and make my way along the hall, trying not to stand too close to any of the pillars and their sentinels. There's a few large windows along the right hand side of the room, and some daylight is coming through, clean and bright now. It almost feels wrong to be happy about it. I might have adjusted my priorities for now, but the guilt and grief aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

At the far end of the hall, I find a set of double doors. There's a plate above it that says that through here is the Medical Wing, and I'm not sure what I was expecting when I pushed the door open but... it wasn't this.

It was as if I'd stepped through a portal or something. On one side of the door was the fancy old hall I'd just came from, and on the other side... was a modern-looking white corridor. The floor beneath my feet wasn't stone or wood like the rest of the castle, but white glittering tiles, with not so much as a mark on them. It was as if I'd stepped right into some kind of super-hospital.

There were doors leading into private rooms lining the corridor – about twenty in all. And about halfway down the corridor it turned in, leading onto a fairly big ward, equipped with ten beds, all with curtain rails set out around them to be pulled over if required. There's little bedside cabinets, and a few hangers with hospital gowns at each one. Large windows at the end of the room let in the light, giving the place a surprisingly welcoming atmosphere, despite the kind of sterile, white conditions.

Best of all, Miniro, Daisuke, and Blessing are in here, all currently checking through the bedside cabinets. They look up as they hear my boots hitting off of the tiled floor.

"Kei, hello!" Blessing calls over from the far end of the ward. "We were just searching through the cabinets to see if there was anything of use in them. Have you had any luck?"

"Not quite yet," I say. "Though that might change if Miniro isn't too busy!"

"Sure thing," he smiles, warmly. "What do you need?"

"There's a Library on the Second Floor," I explain, "and we found a door behind this like weird secret bookcase set-up. We tried to open it but there's something blocking it. Kimi suggested we ask you!"

"Well, I'm more than happy to help," he nods, rubbing at his chin. "Should we go just now?"

"I guess so," I nod. "They're probably already gonna be pretty impatient – I was checking the rooms as I went along to try and find you guys."

"No time like the present then," says Miniro. "Would you two like to join us or just keep looking around up here?"

"Hm, I must admit I'm curious about this door," Blessing murmurs. She pouts a little as she considers it. "I think I'll stay up here for now and keep looking around – we've all got to pull our weight, right?"

"Th-that's fine with me," Daisuke says. "I'll s-stay with Miss Ayoeda for now, and we'll meet you both back in the Common Room in a while, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," I say. "Oh, by the way, are you feeling a little better, Daisuke? I was a little worried before."

Daisuke nods enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, I'm much b-better now, thank you, Mr Kamiya! Mr Shirane and Miss Ayoeda both made sure I was alright."

Mr Kamiya... I feel like a teacher or something. But I kind of feel like it would be rude to bring it up right now, so I just give him a smile.

"That's great," I tell him. "It's good to see you're feeling better!" I turn to Miniro. "You ready?"

"Yup, lead the way!" he says, giving me a thumbs up.

* * *

Our journey back down to the Second Floor is fairly quick, and I manage to navigate our way through the bookshelves back to the concealed area at the back of the Library in a quick minute. Kimi and Yuki are sitting at a table nearby, both looking up at us as we arrive. Kimi's using a nail file, and she points it at us as we approach.

"My word, what took you so long?" Kimi demands. "We were beginning to suspect foul play had occurred again, you know."

"Sorry," I grimace, as she rises from her wooden chair. The chair screeches off of the floor and I wince a little.

"My fault," Miniro says, apologetically. "We'd ended up heading up to the Third Floor, so Kei took a little longer to hunt me out! I hear you've got a door problem!"

"That'd be right," Yuki says, bouncing up from her chair. Luckily, her rapid movement seems to launch the chair up enough that it doesn't screech like Kimi's had. "C'mon!"

She bounces around us and over to the door, where Ino is still trying to kick at it.

"Have you stopped since I left?" I ask her.

"Maybe!" she huffs, defensively. That'll be a no then. She steps back and folds her arms, and we all look at Miniro expectantly. He's rubbing his chin and eyeing the door, as if he's sizing it up.

"I'm thinking..." he draws the word out, like his mouth hasn't quite caught up with his brain yet. "I'm thinking... here."

Before any of us can even ask where exactly he's referring to, he barrels forward in a flash, and with a single strike the door flies open. There's a dull thud, and a loud scraping sound as something huge is pushed aside.

"Great work, Miniro," beams Yuki, patting him on the arm as she steps around him to walk through the doorway. "Now what do we have through here, hm?"

Uncertainly, I follow after her. Like everywhere else in this place, I feel a little cautious about walking in, but I'm relieved – and a little disappointed – to find that the room beyond is an enormous archive.

It's full of filing cabinets and more bookcases. There's folder and folios and binders crammed into the shelves, though they appear to have just been slid in wherever a space was available, as there doesn't seem to be any sort of normal filing system for them.

There's two laptops sitting on a large desk space in the centre of the archive, with charger cables streaming away under it, and swivel chairs set out in front of them both. Kimi approaches one of the laptops and jabs the power button with a razor sharp fingernail as she lowers herself down into the chair.

There's a trill from the machine as it switches on, and a brief boot-up screen, before the desktop turns up. For a moment, it displays a weird logo – a stylised form of the word 'future' written in Japanese in silver writing. But then the screen flares out and is replaced with a generic-looking school computer background.

"What the heck was that?" Yuki asks, scratching her head.

"Never mind that," snaps Ino. "Does it have Internet?"

"I'm looking!" Kimi rolls her eyes and glides her finger across the laptop's touchpad, clicking about the screen. We wait with bated breath for a long moment, but nothing seems to happen. Kimi grunts in frustration and pushes herself back in the chair, narrowly avoiding running over my foot. "Nothing!" she cries. "It's useless!"

"Well, not to burst your bubbles, kiddos..." a voice says from behind us. We all turn simultaneously to see Monokuma standing in the doorway. "I wasn't gonna make it that easy now, was I? I mean, never mind the whole 'trying to escape' nonsense you're all so obsessed with, but need I remind you of the sort of inappropriate content that hormonal and impressionable minds are so keen on looking up online?"

"Trust us, porn's the last thing on our minds right now," I say.

"At least fifth last on mine," Yuki says, nodding in agreement. I don't even know what to say to that, so I just sort of blink at her dumbfoundedly for a second.

"Well, she just sealed the deal for that one, huh?" Monokuma says, tilting his head. He almost seems to be... is he sweating?! "But I digress – I've got stuff to be getting on with. Just remember to keep all your less-than-pure activities to the confines of your dorm rooms. Got it?!"

And thankfully, before the tone gets any lower, he disappears, waddling off into the gloom of the Library.

"Well, that was... a conversation," Miniro says, looking from me to Yuki with mild amusement. "Do you suppose there's much else to check out here or shall we get back to the Common Room?"

"There's a Science Lab on this floor, but nothing in particular caught my eye," I shrug. "Was there much else on the Third Floor."

"Not sure, really," Miniro says. "The others might have had a better chance to scope it out!"

"Common Room sounds good to me," Yuki says, bouncing away before anyone can say anything else.

"Guess that's decided then," Miniro chuckles, striding off after her. Ino and Kimi don't offer any addition to the conversation, just traipsing off in their usual sullen silence, and I shut the Archive door over behind me, hoping with all my heart that someone's found something helpful.

Just as I walk away from the concealed entrance, I hear a dull rumble and turn to see the bookcase sliding back into place where it had been before. At least now I know where to hit it to get back in to the Archive, I guess.

* * *

The others have all assembled in the Common Room when we return, and we take a few spare seats at a table a few feet away from the couches.

"So, um, before we start," Blessing says, "I feel like we should have done this earlier, but I would like to take a moment just to think of Arata and Cho. Just to... to pray for them, you know?"

"That's a nice thought," Kaori agrees. She looks round at us. "Everyone?"

There's a bunch of nods, and a few non-commital grunts that I think come from the direction of Masashi and Fumio. Nevertheless, we all bow our heads and the Common Room falls into a respectful silence, besides the faint crackling of the fireplace.

It hurts to think of them. It's still too early to even try and get past it. I'd been trying to distract myself with exploring but reflection just doesn't seem to make things any easier. An image of Arata and I making milkshakes flashes across my mind for a second, but then it's replaced with me leaning over his body. Talking about horror movies with Cho flashes into the horror movie of her execution. I can feel tears starting again, and that horrible aching in my chest.

The moment seems to end for the rest of the room, and Blessing raises her head and opens her eyes.

"I'd just like to say that despite the horrible way our first days ended here," she says, "the time we got to spend with Arata... and with Cho... can't and won't be forgotten. Even when we are far, far away from here – safe and amongst those we love – we will not forget them."

"Well said," Miniro says, gruffly. He sounds a little welled up actually, and I don't think he's the only one.

We take a few more seconds, waiting for everyone to prepare themselves, and then Mitsu speaks up.

"Well, who wants to go first?" she asks.

"We will!" Yamato says. "Kaori and I searched the Castle Grounds again, and everything is pretty much as it was before, 'cept now we can get into the Greenhouses."

"It's pretty cool in there," Kaori nods. "Oh, and at the back of Greenhouse Three, there's a couple of those Talent Labs! One for Daisuke and -"

"One for me!" Yamato beams, proudly. "It was really cool!" Kaori's look of mild disgust suggests otherwise, and I have to fight a wince at the mental image of a room full of hundreds of snakes. "Lemme know if you guys wanna come visit!"

I make a mental note to never, ever do that.

Daisuke looks quite pleased. "It'll be n-nice to see what it's like inside!"

"The Maze and the rest of the Grounds are all tidied up again too," Kaori says. "All the stuff from the Theatre's been put back by the looks of it. And, that's about it, really." She shrugs. "Not much else to report."

"Well, we went back over the Ground Floor and the First Floor," Mitsu says. "There isn't much new to report on the Ground Floor, except that there's a door leading down to a Dungeon level that leads off from the Entrance Hall now. There's another Talent Lab there, for Fumio."

"Really impressive stuff inside!" he smiles. "Some of it is real top-of-the-range equipment! I've been wanting to get my hands on some of that stuff for years!"

The others go on to say how there's a few new rooms open in the First Floor towers – one is a staffroom, with the same laptop set-up as we'd found in the Archive, apparently. Most of the others are just more and more classrooms – shock horror...

Yuki quickly fills the others in on our investigation of the Library and the Archive, and I pick up to fill them in on the classrooms and the Science Lab. I ask if Haru has anything else to add but he just waves a hand dismissively. He was fine this morning, but now it's like he couldn't care less.

Moving on, Blessing and Daisuke tell us all about the Medical Wing and some of the other rooms on the Third Floor. There's a few more galleries too, and it seems like the Third Floor leads to more of the outer areas of the castle. Apparently there's a Courtyard up there too, with a glass ceiling that blocks out the weather.

"It's quite pretty, really," Blessing tells us. "There are even some flowers growing up there! And a cherry blossom tree!"

"It's p-pretty impressive," Daisuke nods, happily. "It's thriving pretty well despite the conditions up here as well. I really want to take a look at the soil they're using."

"Time and a place for that, freakin' hippy!" yells Monokuma, barreling through the Common Room door. "But first things first, you might want to go downstairs to the Entrance Hall."

Oh fuck... this can't be good.

Before we can ask what he means, he's gone again, waddling away at full speed back out the door. We all share looks – worried and confused for a long moment – and then we're all rising from our seats, rushing out of the door at a half-run.

* * *

I end up at the front of the group as we race down to the Entrance Hall – the sound of our shoes revertebrating around us as we bolt down the stairs. Quickly, we reach the archway leading on to the Hall and I pivot myself around it, only to screech to a halt – eyes widening in horror at what's awaiting us in the middle of the room beyond.

A body is lying in the middle of the floor, obscured by the dim light. I feel a few of the others hit into the back of me, but it's like it's happening to someone else. Someone far away.

How is this possible?

How could it have happened again?

What the hell are we going to do now?

Reality seems to slip away again, as the gasps and cries from the others around me are drowned out by another sound. A sound I'd hoped to never hear again...

Ding dong dong ding!

The opening chime of a Body Discovery Announcement...

* * *

 **? STUDENTS REMAINING**


	8. Chapter 02: Despairborne (II)

My heart's in my throat – it's like the whole world's just tipped again. The chime of the Body Discovery Announcement rings out throughout the Castle, and I close my eyes tight, like I can just block it out, like I can just deny the reality.

But then, instead of Monokuma's announcement ringing through the intercom system, there's just a weird electronic burble, and the intercom switches off again, leaving us all standing in silence.

No-one knows what to say. No-one wants to be the one to break that silence – it's just like before all over again.

And then – to everyone's complete and utter horror – the body in the centre of the Hall jerks upright with a loud, rattling gasp. There are a few screams and yells of surprise, and I feel myself jumping back a little as the not-so-dead person on the floor pulls in a few long, deep breaths, and turns to look at us all in alarm.

"Wh-where am I?! Wh-what's going on?!"

The boy looks to be about the same age as the rest of us. He's got a shock of bright blue hair, with several thin metal hair pins holding his bangs away from his face. He's wearing a blue coat over a dark red shirt. He scrambles up off of the floor and falls a few paces back, increasing the distance between us and him. I still can't quite work out what the hell just happened, and I get the sense I'm trying to babble some form of response, to not very much success.

Luckily, not everyone is as completely floored by this turn of events as I am, and Mitsu steps forward.

"Hey, calm down, okay?" She raises her arms in a kind of placating way. "You're... you're at the secondary branch of Hope's Peak Academy. What's your name?"

"My... my name?"

The boy looks confused at this for a second, like he can't remember for sure. I don't blame him – he looks as rattled as I feel. But before he can reply, another voice cuts him off.

"Well, lemme answer that one for you all, 'kay?!"

Monokuma makes his arrival a second later, seeming to just stroll into the middle of the Hall as if he'd been waiting in the corner the whole time. And, now I think about it, he probably was.

"My dear, dear, _dear_ students," he says, happily, "I am entranced, and enthralled, and enthusiastic to reveal to you, the grand prize you've all received for Barista Boy's participation in the Monowheel of Fortune game! You may remember – if you have more than one brain cell between you all – that the wheel _eventually_ landed on the 'Plus One' prize, _riiiiiiight_?"

"So by 'Plus One', it literally meant..." Haru trails off. He isn't even looking at Monokuma – eyes still firmly fixed on the boy standing at the far end of the Hall. The boy doesn't notice though – he doesn't know where to look. He looks ready to start crying.

"By Plus One, it literally meant _a_ plus one!" Monokuma cheers. "Everyone please join me in welcoming your class' plus one, and new student here: Hikaru Okimoto – the Ultimate Unlucky Student!"

"What the fuck is going on?" I hear someone say from behind me.

"So, hey, does anyone appreciate the irony?" Monokuma asks. "The Lucky Student dies, and the Unlucky one gets added in for winning a lottery! It's perfect poetry!" No one says anything... "Jeez, tough crowd, tough crowd. Oh, well, whatever, I had my fun – you should've seen your faces at that Body Discovery Announcement! Woo, it's put me in the mood for seein' the real deal! But for now, I'm gonna leave you guys to fill Hikaru in on what a beautiful and welcoming school environment you all get to share with one another! Byesies!"

And with that, he's gone again, leaving Mitsu and the boy – Hikaru – facing one another in fairly symmetrical expressions of disbelief.

"C-can someone tell me what just happened?" he asks, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "I... I don't know what's happening – please..."

"Perhaps we could all do with a sit down?" Blessing suggests, stepping forwards. "Would that be alright with you?"

He looks at her in confusion – still on the brink of tears – but then he wipes his eyes with his sleeve and nods, shakily.

"Y-yeah," he says, eventually. "Um... no, wait, sorry..." He clutches the sides of his head for a moment and groans, closing his eyes over. "I just... need a second."

"Okay, well, how about everyone heads up to the Common Room?" Mitsu suggests. "Kei, would you mind waiting here with me until he's ready to move?"

"Oh... um, yeah, sure," I nod. None of the others argue, and all trail off back through the arch back into the back passageway, leaving me standing alone at one side of the room, with Mitsu in the middle, and Hikaru on the far side.

He's running his hands through his hair, and he looks pretty freaked out going by the way his mouth's moving – like he's having a silent conversation with himself.

"That was... that was a bear. Like a toy bear. And I'm... I don't know..."

Mitsu glances at him and then steps back over towards me, leaning in to whisper, "I wanted you to stay because I thought you might have a better chance of talking to him."

"Wh-why me?" I whisper back, peering over her to keep an eye on the blue-haired boy. She gives me a strange look.

"I'd say people skills are more your forte than mine," she says, and then – in admittance – adds, "Also you were at the front of the group so you were the first one to come to mind."

"Oh, well... fair enough," I say with a weak attempt at a smile. "Should we... go over?"

"It's in your hands," Mitsu says with a shrug.

I give her a kind of pleading look – one that I hope conveys the whole 'I have about as much clue as you do right now' but that doesn't seem to register with her, and she just nods her head over in Hikaru's direction.

I step round her, and take a few paces across the Hall.

"Um, hi there," I say, a little awkwardly. "Are you okay? Sorry, stupid question. Um... my name's Kei – Kei Kamiya. You're Hikaru, right?"

He nods slowly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Hikaru," I reply. "Oh, and this is Mitsu Kamori." I gesture to her and she raises a hand in greeting. He looks at us warily for a moment, and then he seems to slump a little.

"It's nice to meet you both," he says, quietly. "C-can you help me?"

"I'm not sure what we can do to help, if I'm honest," I say. "Are you okay to walk yet?"

He looks down at his feet, as if he has to concentrate, and then takes a few wobbly steps.

"We can go slow if you like," I tell him.

"I... um... I think I'll be fine in a second," he tells me. I try to give him an encouraging smile, and he manages a smile for about a fraction of a second before his face sinks back to a look of concern and dread. Honestly, I don't blame him.

"Do you wanna go ahead and we can catch up?" I ask Mitsu. I lean in a little closer and add, "Might be better to make sure everyone's kind of calm before we come in."

She blinks at me, looking a little confused, and then nods. "You're probably right. I'll see you up there."

And with that, she turns on her heel and strolls off, leaving me alone with Hikaru. I regret asking her to go ahead almost immediately as silence surrounds us.

"So, um, do you remember how you got here?" I ask Hikaru. He stops and frowns for a moment and then shakes his head.

"I... I just remember being on the train home," he says. "It was... it was getting late – I'd missed my train after school, and then the next few were all delayed."

"After school?" I echo. "It's just the second week of term, right?"

He nods. "That's right."

I frown. "But wait... if you were at another school... it wasn't Hope's Peak, was it?"

"Hope's Peak?" His eyes widen for a second, and he manages a weak laugh. "No way! I'm nothing special."

"Monokuma called you the Ultimate Unlucky Student," I say. "They'd have to have contacted you in advance... surely..."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says. "You mean that bear thing, right?"

"That's right," I nod, running a hand through my hair. "Well, I guess it's kind of a... what's the term for it? A special case, I guess?"

"A... special case?" Hikaru frowns up at me. "What do you mean?"

"Trust me, you'll be saying that a lot," I sigh. "It's... it's probably best we wait til we're with the others to go over everything. Are you okay to keep going?"

"Yeah, I think so," he replies. "I... I just don't understand what's happening."

"You'll be saying that a lot too," I tell him, as we pass through the arch into the back passageway.

Our journey up to the Common Room is fairly quiet. Once or twice, Hikaru has to stop – it seems like he's still a little weak from being unconscious. It seems like whatever was used to knock him out affected him a lot more than what had affected us when we'd woke up in the Castle.

"This place is... so big," he says to me, as we make our way along the corridor with the large glass windows. The Common Room entrance is right ahead of us, but as he turns to see the view beyond the windows he stops, his eyes widening in horror. "W-wait! Where are we?!"

"Oh, um..." I stop beside him. The morning light has faded now, lost in the mountain mist that shrouds the world beyond the glass in an all too familiar white-grey veil. "This is one of those things we can explain when we're with the others. The short version is... this is Hope's Peak. The Castle is the secondary branch of Hope's Peak. Like Mitsu said before. You were probably freaking out too much to take notice though. Not that I blame you. I freaked out too. Jesus, when we found you on the floor like that I... I thought..."

I trail off, realising I can't just launch into... the whole story. Even thinking about it just makes me think of Arata. I sniff and wipe at my eyes with the back of my hand. Hikaru's looking at me with big, concerned eyes.

"Are you... okay?"

I shake my head – I'm too exhausted to lie to him right now.

"I've had... well, no, sorry, I mean _we've_ had... a pretty rough time since we got here."

"Look, I... sorry, this is all really weird," he tells me, rubbing at his temples. "I get that you're stressing but can you please just try and let me know what's happening?"

"Can it wait til we're in the Common Room?" I ask. "It'd be easier if we're all together, you know?"

He opens his mouth to say something, but then stops, and shakes his head a little, like he's decided not to argue. He squints out at the view for a moment and then sighs.

"If I knew what the hell was going on I might even be happy to be here. This view is... amazing."

I drag my hands down my face and let out a long, slow breath. I can't not tell him...

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, but... we... we're trapped here," I tell him. "In this Castle."

He looks at me again, horrified.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"All of us. The ones you met downstairs. And you now. We're all trapped here in this place by Monokuma."

"And that's the bear thing, right?"

"Right," I nod. "He, or, whoever's controlling him, knocked us all out when we arrived here, and then destroyed the cable car. We have no way out past the school grounds."

He can't seem to take his eyes off me now. He's looking at me for a moment like he's waiting for me to start laughing, but then his expression crumples, and he closes his eyes, resigned.

"You're... you're not joking, are you?"

I shake my head, grimly.

"That's not even the half of it," I say. "But... let's just go get the others first, okay?"

I can't even look at him after telling him this. I feel like I've already signed his death certificate. God, I can't let that happen again.

He doesn't say anything else, but he looks pretty much how I expected him to. He's frightened, and confused, and I regret telling him already. I should've left it to Mitsu or one of the others, honestly.

"Can we go now?" he says, in a small voice. I nod, and turn on the spot.

"C'mon, we're nearly there," I say quietly, leading the way.

* * *

The others are all assembled in their chosen seats when we arrive. The spots where Arata and Cho should be are conspicuous in their emptiness, but I look past that and gesture for Hikaru to take another empty seat next to me.

There's an uncomfortable silence that doesn't seem to be showing any signs of lifting for a few long moments. Some of the others are looking at Hikaru curiously, and some of the others are trying to look anywhere but at him. Finally, Hikaru clears his throat and speaks up.

"K-Kei told me we're trapped here."

"Oh..." Mitsu replies, looking at me. "How did that go?"

"Not very well, I'd imagine," Ino murmurs.

"Just... just tell me everything," he sighs, like he's already admitting defeat. "Tell me from the start."

We all look round at each other, unsure of who will take that burden on, and once again, taking charge of the situation falls to Mitsu.

"We all received invitation letters here, as Ultimate Students," she begins. "And we arrived a few days ago. But as soon as we got here, we all lost consciousness and woke up on the First Floor..."

She goes on to tell Hikaru about our first few days here – about the Killing Game and its rules, and about Arata and Cho and the Class Trial. When she gets to the end she doesn't go into detail over Cho's execution – just informing him that she was killed for her crime.

Hikaru sits and absorbs all this information with wide eyes. The colour's drained from his face and he looks a little frail all of a sudden. After Mitsu's finished with her recap, he looks round at all of us.

"I... I am... so, so sorry," he says, his voice rasping a little like he's holding back tears. "This... this is real, isn't it? And... and you've all been so brave." He grips the underside of his chair and gazes down at the floor sadly. In a small voice, he says, "I... I'm going to have to be brave now, too, aren't I?"

The continued silence that meets this does nothing to comfort him, or anyone else, and, almost instinctively, I reach over and place a hand on his arm.

"We're all going to be brave, Hikaru," I tell him. "And it's going to work. We're all going to get out of here."

" _That's a lovely attitude to have!_ "

A monitor flickers on and Monokuma appears onscreen. He's reclining in his chair with a glass of something vaguely toxic-looking clenched in his paw. He swirls his glass a few times before he continues. " _So you've given our new student a warm welcome then? Excellent.. That'll make things a lot easier! If you look under your chair, Hikaru, you'll find your Student Handbook. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Look, I'm enjoying this change in precedings but can one of you shmucks just fill him in on the rest? Byesies._ "

The screen fizzles out again and a collective sigh fills the air.

"I hate that bear," groans Yamato.

In the meantime, Hikaru's reaching under his chair. There's a faint rip of tape, and he lifts an ElectroID out from beneath him.

"How the heck did Monokuma manage that?" Yuki asks, eyebrows raised. She waggles her fingers for a moment. "Spoooooky!"

"So... um, what is this?" Hikaru asks, flicking his ElectroID open. "Oh, it says my name and stuff..."

"It is an ElectroID," Ayaka says. "It is mainly used to access the Dormitories, and specific rooms throughout the Castle."

"Hey, wait," Kaori says, holding up a finger, "there was only enough rooms for all of us who were here originally, so... where's Hikaru gonna sleep?"

"I suppose he might have to use Arata or Cho's," Blessing says.

"Ooh, no way!" gasps Kaori. "Bad karma!"

"She's right, y'know," Yuki nods, knowingly. "That's just a fast-track to being possessed or something!"

"Th-that can't be true, can it?" Daisuke mumbles.

"Hm, I'm not very certain," Miniro replies, rubbing his chin as he seems to reflect on something. "I've heard some tales of things happening at sea. Spirits and stuff."

"I'm sure the only spirits the people telling those tales interacted with came in bottles," Masashi says, dismissively. Miniro chuckles at this and shakes his head.

"It's a big world out there, Masashi," he replies. "You just never know."

Yamato groans. "Yeah, thanks for reminding us while we're stuck in here, big guy!"

Miniro manages an apologetic smile in response. Meanwhile, Hikaru is still prodding away at his ElectroID with a grim expression on his face. He glances up when he notices me looking.

"You okay?"

"I'm... not sure. It's really weird seeing their faces, I guess," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Putting a face to the name is really... surreal – I s'pose you'd say."

"I don't even know what to say," I admit. "I'm sorry."

"It's... not a situation that words come easy too..." he nods. There's a lapse into silence for a while, before Blessing perks up.

"So, how about a welcome lunch to cheer things up a little?"

Hikaru's initial reluctance clears fairly soon once we're all gathered downstairs in the Hall. The smells of cooked meat and sweet sauces drift up from the Kitchen, giving the place a more homely and welcoming feel to it.

We've all decided to sit at a different table now – whether that's just out of politeness to Hikaru or out of respect to Arata and Cho, I'm not really sure. But it feels like there's a significance to this, and I'm not going to bring it up. Our seating layout reflects this too, with most of us now at least a little more familiar with one another. I'm sat between Hikaru and Yuki, with Mitsu, Miniro, and Kaori across the table from us. Blessing, Ayaka, and Daisuke are downstairs as usual, hard at work on the food.

Not long later, Daisuke arrives, and the faint clunk of the dumbwaiter lets us know the food is on its way. It doesn't take long to serve it all out, and when I get a proper look at it, I realise just how hungry I am. Soon enough, we're all digging in, hungry and content for a few comfortable minutes.

It's a nice distraction more than anything. Everything's happened so fast that it's still racing on in the back of my mind, and no doubt all the others. Hikaru... despite not experiencing what we have so far, is no doubt caught in his own thoughts, and despite our brief conversation in the Common Room, I'm a little worried for him. I decide I should probably keep an eye out for him, and just as I think this, I happen to look up to see Mitsu looking from me to Hikaru.

It's only then I realise that this is what she had probably had in mind from the moment she volunteered me to wait with him. She gives me a kind of enigmatic smile, and I frown a little at her, but then smile back at her. There's definitely more to Mitsu than meets the eye, but I guess the same could be said for everyone here.

Was it for my own good? Or was it for Hikaru's though? That's the part I can't quite figure out. I make a mental note to ask her in private at some point.

Lunch goes on for a while longer, with no real dramatic events to speak of. We each take turns giving Hikaru a quick rundown of everything we've found in the Castle so far, and his eyes light up a little at the mention of the Library, though Masashi's mention of the Trial Ground leaves him uncomfortable.

"I... I hope I don't need to see that place while we're here," he admits.

I nod. "Me neither. None of us will, though."

"What makes you so sure?" Ino asks.

"Let's not do this right now," Haru sighs, twirling a plastic straw between his fingers. "There's no point getting ourselves upset over the slightest possibility that what happened last night will happen again. Masashi's proven that, himself."

"I... I have?" Masashi frowns at him and then nods. "Well, yes, quite."

* * *

After lunch, Kaori and I are placed on dishwashing duty. Kaori insists that she gets to dry, so I roll my shirtsleeves up and get to work. The others are all heading off back to the Common Room, while Yuki and Mitsu are taking it upon themselves to show Hikaru around the rest of the accessible areas of the Castle.

"So what do you think of him?" Kaori asks me, taking a wet dish off of the drying rack to rub a towel over it.

"Too soon to say, I guess," I shrug. "He seems nice enough, and despite it all he seems to be making a real effort to get his head around it all."

"You reckon we can trust him though?"

"My gut feeling is to say yes," I admit. "He's out of his depth – even more than we are to some extent. We know what the worst thing that can happen to us in this place is now."

"Last night was... very intense," she admits. She's stopped drying now and is staring off into space now, looking very distracted.

I stop washing and dry my hands on another dish towel before I turn to her.

"Are you alright?" I ask. "Do you want to go sit down?"

She doesn't even seem to notice me at first, but then she blinks and flinches a little.

"Oh, jeez, sorry," she says. "I think things just got a little too real for a sec there."

"Don't worry about it," I tell her. "Do you want me to walk you back up to the Common Room?"

"Um..." She clutches at her head for a second and looks a little confused. "Um, yeah, I think that's... that's a good idea..."

Suddenly, she looks really pale and sweaty. I take the towel from her hands and guide her over to the centre counter of the kitchen, where there are a couple of chairs.

"Just take a second," I tell her. "You're probably just a little stressed."

"I... don't feel too good," she admits. "K-Kei... it's really warm in here."

I frown. The temperature down here is surprisingly cool, with all the excess heat being vented out by small ducts in the walls. That's really weird... I don't want to mention it though – there's no use panicking her any more than she already is.

But then I feel it too. A weird throb that I can feel behind my eyes, and I clutch the counter to the side of me. Kaori's sat, gazing down at her lap, but she notices my sudden movement and looks up at me.

"Wh-what's going on?" she asks.

"I'm not... sure. Oh, shit!" I fall into the chair beside her as that strange feeling coarses through my head again. I screw my eyes shut and bring my hands to my face, sucking in air and resisting the urge to swear a whole lot more. The temperature is suddenly somewhere in the "intense boiling point" area, and I tug at my shirt, groaning now as it all becomes too much.

"This... isn't... right..."

I barely hear her, but then I feel the slightest movement as she slumps down against the counter.

"Kao...ri..."

My vision's fading away all of a sudden, and that horrible throbbing seems to be getting stronger, like some kind of alarm going off in my subconscious. I catch the smallest glimpse of someone appearing from beyond the door leading to the stairs, and then I spiral into darkness, without another thought...

* * *

"-ei, are you..."

"-waking up?"

"-think he's..."

"Kei..."

"C'mon, man..."

"He's..."

"I think..."

"Kaori?"

"Kei?"

"Kei?"

"Kei?"

* * *

My eyes snap open, and I cry out, only to breathe a sigh of relief as I look up to see Miniro and Daisuke at either side of me. It looks like I'm in one of the beds in the Medical Wing. I'm still in my own clothes, but a few of the buttons have been undone. I look from Miniro to Daisuke and try to speak, but only a dry croak escapes my mouth.

"Mr Kamiya, it's okay, it's okay," Daisuke insists, patting at my arm gently. Miniro turns round and calls out to Ayaka, who calls back a moment later.

"Ayaka's just coming, okay?" Miniro says. "She's just double-checking Kaori."

"Kao-ri..." I cough. "Is... she..."

"She's okay," Daisuke nods. "At least Miss Suzuki thinks so. Oh, um, h-here, drink some water!"

He reaches over to the bedside table and pours out a small glass of water from a large jug. He passes it to me and I shakily bring the glass to my lips, taking a few deep glugs before sighing in relief. The water does its job almost instantly, and I feel a lot better straight away.

"What... happened to us?" I ask. Daisuke and Miniro exchange looks for a moment, but then Miniro looks a little grim.

"It wasn't just you two, I'm afraid," he says. "By the looks of things, it's affected Haru and Ino too."

"Oh, god..."

"It is not like anything I have heard of before, really," Ayaka says, walking over to me. "Of course, my experience with human medicine is a lot more limited than it is with animals, so I am a little out of my comfort zone with this."

"Do you think we'll be okay though?" I ask, trying not to let the panic make itself too obvious. Part of me hopes she just doesn't say anything. But instead, she just shrugs.

"The way you and Kaori are recovering already would suggest it could have been a momentary effect of something," Ayaka says, "but I would not like to give a definite answer til we know for sure."

"But wait, what about Haru and Ino?" I ask.

"There is no way of knowing yet," Ayaka replies. "For now we just have to wait. They are both the way you and Kaori were when we found you."

"How long have we been out for? What happened?"

"Kaori said that she felt dizzy," Ayaka says, "and you helped her over to a chair. Then she felt incredibly warm and then passed out. Was that the same for you?"

"Y-yeah," I frown. "There was this weird... pain behind my eyes."

"She described that too," Ayaka nods, sagely. "She compared it to the feeling you get after looking at a bright light for too long."

"I... I guess that'd be about right," I murmur. "How long were we out for?"

"Well, it was about fifteen minutes after we had all left the Hall that Yuki and Mitsu doubled back to show Hikaru the Kitchen on their tour of the Castle," Miniro says. "They found you both conked out, and were super worried you'd both been killed! Yuki ran and got us, and we came and got you both and brought you up here."

"I thought it made more sense to be close to the medical supplies, should we need them," Ayaka says. "It was just as we had brought you both here though, that Haru and Ino were both hit by dizziness. They've both been unconscious for about an hour now."

"What?!" I gasp, jerking upright on the bed. "So we were both out for about an hour?"

Ayaka glances at the time on her ElectroID, and then nods. "More or less, yes." She slides the ElectroID back in her pocket and sighs. "I am not sure what to do, really. There does not seem to be any particular prevention or cure that could be of use against such a strange affliction."

"So it could happen again?" I ask.

"I am afraid that for now, Kei," Ayaka says, grimly, "this entire situation is now a waiting game either way."

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	9. Chapter 02: Despairborne (III)

I had been in one of the private rooms of the Medical Wing at first, but Ayaka had decided it best to move the four of us into the main ward. She admits this is partly to save her having to run from room to room, but also there doesn't seem to be any point in isolating the four of us when things are still so unpredictable.

I feel more or less fine now, though maybe just a little bit drowsy, but I don't argue when Ayaka asks Miniro to wheel my bed out of the room and down the corridor. It's only after my bed's been wheeled into the ward that I realise how weird it is to be up on the Third Floor of the Castle.

Our world's been shrunk down so much now that to have it opened up again so soon is... jarring.

A perfect prison.

And now there's this... fever?

"Fumio, Mitsu, and Masashi are looking into it," Miniro informs me. "They figured that between the three of them they should be able to find something in the medical section of the Library."

"I'm just glad to be awake," Kaori says, from the bed beside me. "It's nice that Masashi's pullin' his weight though, y'know?" She still looks pretty pale, but her long, brown hair has been scraped back and tied into a ponytail to keep it out of her elfin face. It's kind of weird seeing her like this – more subdued than I've ever seen her since we first met.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her. She looks at me and manages a tired smile.

"Been better, to be honest. You?"

"I... just feel exhausted, if I'm honest," I sigh, rubbing my eyes. She nods.

"It was so weird," she says, quietly. "It was like... a powercut in the middle of a house fire. I was burnin' up and then it was like... just all cut out."

This kind of made me smile. Comparing it to something she understands – electrics. It makes me feel a little better, in a weird way.

"We'll be okay," I tell her. "Haru and Ino, too."

"I hope so," she nods, letting out a deep sigh and leaning back in against her pillow.

"Everything's happened so fast," Yamato moans. "Could we not even get one day to cope with shit before more gets thrown at us?!"

The intercom system switches on with its characteristic burbling.

" _You're all so whiny, jeez! I give you guys some excitement in return for the excitement that Trial gave me and then you complain about it! This generation is so entitled and ungrateful!_ "

"Millenials killed the killing game," Mitsu says drily, entering the ward.

" _Exactly!_ " Monokuma cries, onscreen. " _I just want some deaths, is that too much to freakin' ask?! I was just-_ "

Mitsu gives us all a nod in greeting, and turns to face the monitor as Monokuma continues to rant.

"- _and don't even_ start _me on how difficult it is to clean up bloodstains._ "

"Are you done?" Yamato asks.

" _Are your friends done?_ " Monokuma retorts, mockingly. " _Y'know, I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting this turn of events at all._ "

"W-wait," I stammer, "this isn't something to do with you?!"

" _Oh, sure it is!_ " Monokuma says, cheerfully now. " _I'm just surprised you dumb apes had the common sense to use this handy Medical Wing, y'know?_ "

"What have you done to us?" Kaori asks.

" _I'll explain later,_ " he says, and then wiggles his paws with joy. " _Ooh, y'know, in show business they say to always leave 'em wantin' more! That must make me a freakin' star! Bye for now, kids!_ "

The screen dies, and the intercom cuts off, leaving us in an all too familiar post-announcement depression.

Mitsu's smiling when she turns back to face the rest of us, and there's something in that smile that makes me feel almost cautiously optimistic.

"What are you thinking?" Ayaka asks, eyeing her curiously.

"I'm thinking our mastermind's played their cards too soon," Mitsu replies, with that enigmatic smile. "Whatever is this won't kill anyone."

"Can you be sure of that?" Miniro asks, rubbing his chin.

"I think so," Mitsu nods. "Monokuma's emphasis on us being responsible for the murders in this place would suggest that any other deaths would be pointless, right?"

"That sounds about right, now you say it," I frown.

"So this condition is merely a distraction?" Ayaka asks.

"I'm not sure it's quite a distraction," Mitsu says, shaking her head. "But I don't want to voice my full opinion until I'm completely sure, so for now, tell me how things are going up here. Our research hasn't turned up anything useful yet."

"Well, Kei and Kaori are awake now, as you can see," Ayaka says, and then gestures down to the far end of the room, where the curtains have been drawn around two of the beds. "Haru and Ino are still unconscious. I'm trying to keep it monitored, and the others have been helping me, but there is such a difference between dealing with humans and animals."

Mitsu nods, apparently satisfied with Ayaka's report. "If someone could come find me when either, or both, of them wake up, I'd really appreciate it. See you all soon."

And with that, she breezes off – no doubt heading back to the Library.

"Well, that's all well and good," I say, "but what exactly are we meant to do now? I don't really wanna stay in this bed for the whole day."

"Please try and rest," Ayaka insists. "I know it is a bother for now, but once we have a clearer idea of what is happening, we can see about getting you out of bed."

"Doctor's orders?" I ask, trying to smile.

She folds her arms and gives me a stern look, but it quickly softens and there's the faintest trace of a smile on her face.

"Doctor's orders," she echoes, and then turns away to go and check on the others.

"Well, if rest's our best solution for now," Kaori says, stretching her arms wide, "I reckon I'm gonna get my head back down for a while."

"I don't think I'll manage to get to sleep right now," I tell her. "We'll wake you if anything happens."

"You better do," Kaori says. She stifles a yawn and rolls over onto her side, facing away from me. "I don't wanna have to kick your ass, Kamiya."

I chuckle. "I don't wanna have to let you."

She snorts her amusement and then lapses into silence. I stare up at the ceiling above me – trying, not for the first time, to work out the geography of this weird place. A few moments pass, and then Kaori's quiet snores distract me from my thoughts. I shake my head a little as I try to concentrate again, but it's then that the tiredness hits me in waves. I haven't had a proper sleep yet...

I slip into it willingly – happy to escape reality for just a few hours...

* * *

I open my eyes and I can't move. It's dark – a horrible darkness I can't see through at all. I just about manage to prise my arms from my sides, but they don't move very far away – instead, they hit off wooden panels to my sides with a quiet knocking sound. Trying to keep calm despite myself, I raise my hands up in front of me, only to find another wooden panel a foot or so above me.

A horrible realisation crashes down on me.

I'm in a coffin.

For a second, I thrash out at the panels around me, desperate for some sort of movement, but then small trickles of dirt start to pour in through the tiny gap I can make ahead of me. I can't see it, but I can certainly feel it against my hands and falling into my hair.

And then I stop.

I'm in a coffin. Underground.

I've been buried alive.

Okay, I need to stay calm here.

Talking wastes oxygen. Moving too much and breathing too fast wastes oxygen. I need to be smart here...

And then, before I even get to think it out, there's a massive lurch – like the G-force on a rollercoaster – and there's an incredible rumbling as dirt and rock fly past me, in my little wooden prison.

It's over too quick for me to even scream – I just about manage to press my arms in against the sides of the coffin to brace myself as I feel it skid and tumble, and the breath is knocked out of me as it makes impact with something solid.

There's a dull crack, and the side of the coffin lid splinters away from the hinges. I take a second to catch my bearings and then reach out, giving the lid a gentle shove.

The lid crashes down in front of me, landing in a deep pile of snow. Uneasily, I step out onto the fallen lid, holding the side of the coffin to balance myself.

I'm not sure where I am. It seems to be an area outside the Castle, tucked away like the space outside the tower the Class Trial had taken place in. It's difficult to make out anything around me – the moon is the only source of light, casting a silver-blue glow over the snowy landscape around me. The wind whistles, blowing my hair, my hoodie, my school tie wildly around. I fumble for the zipper and pull it up, offering me a little extra protection from the biting cold, and then I take a few steps forward.

My foot sinks a few inches into the snow, and I cry out, caught offguard for a second, but I steady myself again, and take another, more cautious step.

I glance back at the coffin, to see it had collided with what I was assuming was an outer wall of the Castle. But it isn't alone...

Sixteen other coffins are lined up – eight on each side of the coffin I've just stumbled from. They're all solid and intact – not a single splinter or crack in any of their surfaces.

It doesn't take a genius to work out whose names are engraved in the tiny silver plates on each coffin lid.

I fight my way through the snow, over to the first coffin to the left of mine.

 _Arata Summerfield –_ the nameplate reads.

Could it be? Could it be that the others are all here? Alive and well inside these coffins?

I grasp the side of the lid with cold, trembling fingers and heave at it with as much strength as I can manage. There's some resistance for a few seconds, and then, with a crack that echoes all around me, Arata's coffin opens.

There's a scream – a horrible, ear-splitting wail that cuts through the air – and a blinding light erupts from within the coffin, shaking the earth, and dissolving the world around me. All I can see through the light is a familiar smile – cheerful and optimistic – dissolving into a skeleton grin.

* * *

"Arata!" I cry out, eyes snapping open.

"N-no, Mr Kamiya, it's me," Daisuke says, squeezing my arm. "We just came to check on you. Mr T-Takezaki and Miss W-Watabe are awake now. Are you alright?"

"I..." The world seems to be trying to slide back into focus again. A moment later the two Daisukes in front of me merge together to form one. "Just a bad dream. Scared myself awake, I guess. Are they both okay?"

"They seem to be," he nods. "Miss Watabe is already... back to her usual self, by the sounds of it."

He glances uneasily to the far end of the ward. The curtains are still pulled round the two beds, but it's pretty easy to tell which one is Ino's by the less-than-subdued yelling coming from behind the curtain.

"-and if I find out what that bear's gone and done, I-"

"Ino, please, calm yourself. Stressing yourself will only make things-"

"-absolutely ridiculous! I can't believe-"

I glance up at Daisuke and he grimaces.

"She isn't taking it well," he says.

"Bit of an understatement," I say with a slight smile. "How's Haru?"

"Mr Takezaki is okay, I think," he tells me. "He can't quite rremeber what happened before he lost consciousness. They both appear to feel alright now they're awake though."

"Well, that's something at least," I nod. "And everyone else is okay?"

"So far, yes," Daisuke says. "Miss Suzuki was saying- oh..."

He staggers suddenly, only just catching himself on the side of my bed.

"Daisuke, are you okay?!"

He brings a hand to his forehead and rubs at his temples.

"Oh, that was... I'm very sorry..."

His eyes widen, and he stumbles again, but this time he loses his grip and falls to the floor with a crash.

"Daisuke!"

I've already thrown my covers back and I slide off the side of my bed. Luckily, the others have heard him fall, and in a second, Ayaka, Miniro, Blessing, Fumio, and Hikaru are around us.

"His body temperature seems to have spiked," Ayaka says grimly after pressing a hand to his forehead. "It seems to be the same condition that Kei and the others have experienced."

"We should get him into a bed," Blessing suggests. She gives me a concerned look. "What happened, Kei?"

"I'm not sure," I admit, stepping back to let Miniro by. He reaches down and ever so gently lifts Daisuke up, carrying him over to an empty bed across from mine. "He was just talking and then he seemed to get all dizzy."

"I do not like this," murmurs Ayaka. "There is no... pattern or significance to it."

"I hope this all blows over soon enough," Hikaru says with a frown. "I don't understand what's happening at all."

"We haven't had much luck finding anything new yet," Fumio sighs, tugging at his goggles.

"Me neither," I sigh. "We shouldn't have to be dealing with this stuff!"

"Hopefully, Daisuke wakes up soon and this'll be the end of-"

A sudden burst of noise interrupts us, as the slap of sneakers serves as a harbinger to Yamato's arrival. He's wheezing and panting for a second, but he bends down to catch his breath, waving a finger.

"Mitsu... and Masashi... passed out too..." he gasps. "Down in Library."

"Oh, shit!" Hikaru gasps.

I grab my boots from beside my bed and pull them on, rapidly.

"What are you doing?" Ayaka asks. "You need to stay in bed."

"No, I'm coming to help," I say. "No arguing, okay? I can't just sit by while this happens."

Ayaka seems about to protest, but she bites her tongue and shakes her head a little.

"Fine," she says. "Blessing, Yamato, could you both stay here and keep an eye on the others while we are away?"

"Of course," Blessing says. "Good luck."

"You got it," Yamato nods, leaning against the end of my bed, still trying to catch his breath.

"Miniro, you okay to come with us?" I ask. The sailor stands up from Daisuke's bedside and gives me a determined nod.

"Come on," he says, "let's go."

* * *

It takes us a few minutes to race back down to the Library from the Third Floor. Yamato had left the doors open behind him, and we hunt our way through the bookshelves for our missing classmates.

"We're over here!" a shout comes from over near the Archive.

"Yuki?" shouts Miniro. "Is that you?"

"Yup! Kimi's here too," she shouts back. "And Mitsu and Masashi. But they're kinda... not available at the moment."

We turn a last corner and see an open door leading into a Reading Room. Yuki's stood in the doorway, waiting patiently.

"Yamato told us what happened," Ayaka tells her. "Are you and Kimi feeling alright?"

"I think so," she nods, as we follow her into the room. "How are you feeling, Kimi?"

Kimi is standing to the side of Masashi and Mitsu, who have been laid out on their backs on the floor, away from the furniture.

"I feel fine," she shrugs.

"We didn't want to move them too much in case it hurt them, but they'd fell kinda funny so we figured it was best," Yuki explains.

"It is fine," Ayaka says, kneeling down next to Mitsu. "I need to take a look at them before we move either of them."

We wait for a few moments, and she finally gives us a nod to move them, and that's when it all goes wrong.

Thsi time, there's no heat, no dizziness, no warning. I just feel my eyes sliding shut, and the room falling sideways...

And then nothingness.

* * *

Consciousness returns to me slowly, and I push myself up off the floor with a groan. "I'm... getting really tired of this whole passing out thing."

I rub the back of my head, and wince at the small lump that's formed from where my head hit the floor. The brief sting of pain makes me close my eyes, and opening them again a second later feels like watching the curtains going up on a disastrous performance.

We aren't in the Reading Room anymore. And it isn't just us now. The unconscious forms of the others are all laid out on the floor of the Entrance Hall. After the faint echo of my voice fades away into the ceiling above, there are a few stirs around me, and one by one, the others start to come around.

Haru is down closest to me, and he gives me a confused look as he props himself up.

"What the hell's going on?" he murmurs.

"Not a clue," I reply, "but I don't like it."

"You're about to like it even less, Barista Boy!"

Monokuma's arrival in front of us is exaggerated with the faint cough of a malfunctioning smoke machine. It shoots a single weak blast of smoke and then cuts out. Angrily, Monokuma boots it, and it soars across the Hall. Its final resting place is the far left corner of the Hall nearest the main doors.

"What do you want now?" Hikaru asks, staggering to his feet. "Please just let us go."

"No can do, kid. You may win the lottery, but you can't win the war! Everyone conscious yet?" He taps a paw off the ground impatiently. "C'mon, c'mon, rise and shine! I'm a busy bear!"

There are a few groans and whines as the others all get up. When we're all on our feet, Monokuma nods approvingly.

"So, you all know what time it is," he says, retrieving a small remote from... well, I'm not really sure where. Before we can react, he jabs a button on it and a screen lowers itself down from the ceiling on a long mechanical arm. The screen is doing a black-and-white countdown I remember seeing at an old film festival a few years ago. There's a grey circle, with a black number five in the middle of it. The grey circle spins round and changes to black, and the five changes to a four.

While this is going on behind him, Monokuma poses dramatically. Three... two... one...

"Motive Time!" Monokuma cheers. Behind him, the screen changes to a graphic of a crowd of Monokumas cheering in front of a banner with the words 'Motive Time' on it. Cheering and applause blares out of the intercom at a deafening volume, and I cover my ears, wincing a little as the sound pounds at my ears.

Finally, the noise dies down and I take my hands away from my ears. Monokuma is dancing on the spot, seemingly without any music... or rhythm.

"This 'un's a good 'un!" he says. "Hold on to your butts! It's... a deadly, life-threatening disease!"

"I think life-threatening and deadly pretty much mean the same thing," Yuki points out.

"Don't think too hard, it'll only hurt your brain," Monokuma retorts, pointing a paw at her. "Now, where was I? Ah, yeah, the life-threatening disease! Y'see-"

"We know about the disease!" Ayaka interrupts. "You know we know!"

"Well, of course I know that you know! And you know that I know that you know! And I _know_ that you _know_ that I know!" His tone is impatient, and his body language seems to suggest the robot bear equivalent of rolling his eyes. "But lemme explain, okay, Doctor Do Nothing."

"It's Dolittle," Kaori sighs.

"See, even they think you're useless!" Monokuma says to Ayaka, paws wide. She folds her arms and gives him a disapproving look. "Now, if I may?"

Silence.

"Good, well, here it is. Each and every one of you are now in the early stages having contracted a sweet lil' disease I had a friend... well, enemy, really... cook up for me once upon a time. She never quite got the chance to name it, I'm afraid, and it's a real bitch finding a guy to do a trademark these days, but for the sake of you monkey brains, we're gonna be calling it: Monokuma's Syndrome."

The screen behind him changes, displaying a badly drawn picture of a stick man holding his head in pain with the caption 'Monokuma's Syndrome' in big red letters.

Monokuma leans in and, in a stage-whisper, says, "I wated to just call it Mono, but turns out that name's taken."

"This... Monokuma's Syndrome," Ayaka says, slowly. "What exactly is it?"

"Oh, y'know, just a nasty lil' hodge-podge of naughty lil' bad things. Starts off with a nice little heat-storm and some dizziness, works its way up to memory loss, and finally ends in total brain-death! Sweet, huh? Oh, there's some other stuff in the middle too but I'll leave that for you guys to work out in your own time! Ohoho, you'll all be so busy!"

"Y-you mean you actually infected us all?" Hikaru gasps, horrified.

"Nah, Miniro did," Monokuma says, cheerfully.

"Wh-what do you mean? Mr Shirane couldn't have!" Daisuke gasps. "He wouldn't!"

"I haven't done anything!" Miniro cries.

"Well, depends on your definition of 'anything', I guess," Monokuma shrugs. "But it's fine, there's video evidence!"

He presses his remote again and the image on screen changes to a camera feed. I don't recognise the room from the layout at first, but then I realise it's the inside of the Archive in the Library. The door is still closed at this point, meaning it must have been taken from earlier today. I can make out something in the way of the door. Like the edge of a shelf, and on it... what looks like a small glass vial.

"Oh, shit..."

Miniro and I exchange looks of horror, before turning back to watch as, onscreen, the door is burst open, splintering the shelf and launching the vial across the room. We catch a glimpse of Miniro entering the room, but then the camera pans round to the side, where the splintered wood, and the now-shattered vial, is now just slightly visible in the shadowy corner of the room. We must've been too distracted by the laptop to even notice.

The image disappears off the screen again, reverting to the school crest, and then the screen itself retreats away into the ceiling. Monokuma cackles, happily.

"There's a moral to this story, y'know," Monokuma says, "is that sometimes it's best just to leave things alone, hm? Oh, but don't worry, there _is_ a cure!"

"There is?!" Kaori cries.

"Sure there is," Monokuma nods. "As soon as someone's dead, you'll all be _magically_ cured. I'd say act quickly, though. After maybe... two... three days, there may be none of you poor idiots left!"

"Two days?!" I cry.

"Or three," Monokuma adds. "Yes, somewhere about then. Tick, tock, tick, tock."

"Y-you're insane," Hikaru stammers. "This can't be real! Surely?"

"Feelin' the heat yet, kid?" Monokuma cackles. "Ooh, it is pretty warm in here!"

"Stop it," I snap. "Just... stop it."

The bear brings a paw to his mouth and chuckles. "Touching a nerve, huh? I guess that's to be expected. Kids these days... no stamina."

He takes a final bow and then does his usual disappearing act, leaving us all reeling as we consider everything we've just been told.

"I... I am sorry," Miniro sighs, gazing downwards at the floor, sadly. "I wouldn't have opened that door if I had known."

"We know, Miniro," Mitsu says. "Don't blame yourself."

"It isn't your f-fault, Mr Shirane," Daisuke insists, gently taking his hand and squeezing it. "M-Monokuma did this. N-not you."

"Thank you," Miniro breathes. "I... I think I need some air."

Miniro and Daisuke share a look for a long moment, and no-one says a word, like it would break a spell. But then Daisuke lets Miniro's hand go and nods, understandingly. Miniro's face, creased with guilt and worry, softens for a moment, and then he turns and strides away from the rest of us, off in the direction of the doors out into the Grounds.

"Well, without sounding rude," Masashi says, "that was a complete and utter waste of time."

"Hardly," Mitsu says. "We know the stakes now."

"So soon though," I say. "Doesn't that seem weird?"

"He doesn't want to wait too long for a murder," Haru says, shaking his head. "With a two day deadline, it puts more pressure on us to see that happen."

"It's not going to happen!" Blessing cries. "We're friends. All of us. We have... already seen too much to do that again."

"I hope you're right, Blessing," Yamato sighs. "I really hope so."

"Doubt and fear are our biggest opponents right now," Fumio says. "Not each other."

"Well said," nods Ayaka. "I... I have faith in all of us. We would not willingly repeat the events we have already experienced with Arata and Cho."

"Kinda feels weird knowing we're all infected now though," Kaori says. "I mean, it was weird enough before when it was just a couple of us."

"I'm confused about that, if I'm honest," Yamato says, rubbing his chin. "Like, how did we all get infected if it was only the people in the Library who should've got it from when Miniro burst the door in?"

"The ventilation system," Mitsu replies. "There are vents in pretty much every room we've been in so far, including the corridors. There was plenty of time between Miniro opening that door and us gathering for food for the disease to go airborne and start to affect us all."

"And then it was just a waiting game," I say, echoing what Ayaka had called it, what felt like days ago.

"Exactly," Mitsu nods. "This is Monokuma's next game. And this one really does have no way out."

"It doesn't look good though does it?" Haru points out. "If one of us kills another student, we all get cured, but then that lines us all up for execution at the Class Trial."

"And if none of us does anything, the disease will kill us off in time anyway," Kimi realises. "There is... no easy solution to this, it would seem."

"Not unless we find another cure," Fumio says, eyes lighting up suddenly. "We know a little more about what we're facing now! That could give us the chance we need!"

"What are you talking about?" Ino snaps.

"We were looking for info before," Fumio explains. "A few of us – Mitsu, and me, and Masashi, and whoever. We were looking for stuff that could help, but we only had the bare minimum to start us off. But now Monokuma's went and told us more, that gives us a better chance at narrowing things down, right?"

He looks to Mitsu and then to Masashi with a child-like enthusiasm. The two of them exchange looks for a moment. Mitsu raises her eyebrows and gives a slight shrug.

"It's not over til it's over," she says. "I'll do my best."

"I... I will too," Masashi nods. "I can't sit back and watch this happen without doing my best to stop it.

"Then it's decided," Mitsu says. "We'll get to work straight away. Ayaka, if you could help us too?"

"Of course," Ayaka nods. "I would like the rest of you to try and relax. Panicking will not make things easier for any of us."

"Doctor's orders," I nod, with a mock salute. "I'll do coffee duty – it seems like you guys are gonna need it."

"I'll help," Hikaru offers. "It's the least I can do."

"Sounds like a fair deal to me," Kaori shrugs.

"Daisuke, let's go find Miniro," Yuki says. "We can tell him what's happening and that everything'll be okay!"

"I... I would like that," Daisuke says, with a smile. He looks to be close to tears. "I would like that a lot."

"Then that's the plan," I nod. "You guys start searching, and we'll get to brewing. The rest of you take it easy for now, okay?"

"Easier said than done," Ino mutters.

"We can do this, everyone," Blessing says with a smile. "Working together is our best bet."

There are a few weak cheers and noises of agreement from the rest of us, and Blessing claps her hands together, happily.

"It's not over til it's over," Haru says, sliding his hands in his pockets and striding off towards the Staircase. "Not over til it's over..."

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	10. Chapter 02: Despairborne (IV)

The day drags on and passes into night. We're still trying to wrap our heads round what Monokuma's told us, and we've been left reeling, really. There's no easier way to say it.

The Night-Time announcement rings out through the Castle, and warily, Hikaru and I look up at the monitor with tired eyes. We're walking down the Staircase from the Third Floor, bringing a tray of empty mugs back down to the Bar from the Library. Hikaru's a little surprised by the announcement.

"You'll get used to it," I tell him. "There's a Morning announcement too, to wake us up."

"God, it's like prison," he sighs. "I mean, not that I'd know, but like, y'know, from TV and stuff..."

"Yeah, don't worry, I get you," I laugh, but my face falls a little and I sigh. "As far as first days go, yours has been awful – I'm really sorry."

"Not your fault," he sighs. "You've... you've all been doing your best. Even with... everything happening today."

"We'll sort this," I tell him. "Seriously, we'll get through this, Hikaru."

"I... I hope so," he says in a small voice. "Talk about being thrown in at the deep end though, huh?"

"I know," I sigh, "you don't deserve this mess. None of us do."

We reach the bottom of the Staircase.

"Um, I just realised," Hikaru says, "I still don't have anywhere to sleep tonight. We never really reached a conclusion on that one..."

"Oh..." I had completely forgot about that. For a second, I consider suggesting that he should sleep in one of the rooms in the Medical Wing, but that seems a little unfair, stranding him away from the rest of us. I rack my brains as to what to do, but as we pass into the gallery that leads down towards the Bar, we're stopped in our tracks by Monokuma.

"Nowhere to sleep, huh?" he says, with mock sympathy dripping from every word. "A real shame, real shame. Y'know, it's a pity you don't have Arata or Cho's ElectroID, or you could take one of their rooms. No point lettin' them go to waste and stinkin' up the place, right?

"But then... hm, I guess maybe you two could share. That could prove interesting! We could see which one of you snaps and kills the other for hogging the covers! Or snoring too loud! Right? Right?!" He's enthusiastic now, pacing back and forth as he rambles. "Hm, maybe I could do that! But, hm... then again... I know what teenage boys are like. All those hormones, huh?"

"H-hormones?" Hikaru stammers, his face reddening. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, boys 'n' boys, 'n' girls 'n' girls," Monokuma shrugs. "And vice versa, I guess. Or interlocked. Or... whatever. Y'know? No need to be so narrow-minded – it's the 21st century, bub!"

"Says the guy that just said 'bub'," I say, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

"Look, I'd cut ya some slack and make up another room," Monokuma says, "but realistically, you're all gonna be dead in a couple days, so it just doesn't seem worth my while yet."

"Which is your fault," I point out.

"You say 'mass murder', I say 'tomato'," Monokuma sighs. "Jeez, you kids get more and more dramatic every time."

I frown. "Every time?" I echo. "What's that meant to mean?"

"Doesn't matter," he says, sighing again. His shoulders slump and suddenly the bear seems bored and lethargic. "It was fun while it lasted, but sometimes you just gotta expect failure, right?"

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asks. "Look, nothing you've said since I got here makes any sense!"

"Don't expect so much from me, jeez!" the bear protests. "I am but your humble headmaster, after all!"

"Let's go," I groan, adjusting the tray of mugs slightly as I step around Monokuma. Hikaru gives him a wary look and side-steps him, picking up his pace a little to fall back into step beside me. Monokuma growls in frustration, and there's a weird slapping noise as he stomps his paw down on the flagstone floor.

"This is just... beyond disrespectful!" he cries after us. "I'm your headmaster – I demand respect!"

"Ignore him," I mutter to Hikaru, and he nods. Together, we keep walking, while Monokuma rants in the background. Finally, his protests fade away as we walk along the gallery, finally arriving at the door that leads to the Bar.

Balancing the tray in one hand, I dig into the pocket of my zipper, fishing out my ElectroID. I press it to the card reader, and the lock opens with its characteristic clicking. I shift in and hold the door open for Hikaru, and he thanks me as he passes through.

"So, um, not to go on about it," Hikaru says, "but I still don't really have a bed for the night."

"Take mine," I say, placing the tray on the counter. "I get the feeling Mitsu and the others won't be going to bed anyway, so I'm as well staying up to help."

"Oh, are you... are you sure?" Hikaru asks, uncertainly.

I shrug. "I caught a little sleep earlier, but really, I think I'd rather be awake right now. I can walk you up to the Dormitory and let you into my room."

"I... I'd like to stay up and help out," he says, looking guilty now. "It's just... I feel like I'm gonna pass out at any second."

"It's affecting you too, right?" I reply, boiling up water. I turn round to face him from across the counter and he nods, perching himself up onto one of the stools.

"It's like my head is on fire," he says, running his finger around the rim of an empty mug. "I keep trying to concentrate, but it's like someone's set a firework off in my head."

"I know what you mean," I say, grimly. Unfortunately, I know all too well. The dizziness and the intense heat have persisted all day, and more than once I've found myself blacking out for short spells. I haven't been the only one. At one point, mid-sentence, Fumio had cried out and slumped face-first into the open copy of _Kaitai Shinsho_.

Behind me, the water finishes boiling, and I turn back to the machine. I hear Hikaru sigh quietly, but I'm suddenly unsure what to say. An uncomfortable quiet air fills the air between us, and I busy myself with preparing more drinks, uncertain of what to do next.

"I think... I think I better get some sleep," Hikaru says, finally. "I don't know if I will for sure, but trying won't hurt. After all, there's not much more I can do to help now. Not when I'm feeling like this."

I bow my head a little. That optimism we'd shared in the Common Room what felt like days, but could have only been hours ago, had faded away completely, replaced with a horrible dread of what felt like the inevitable. After all, how do you get rid of a sickness you've never even heard of?

"I'll get these in a bit," I tell him, turning away from the trays. "Let's get you to bed."

The halls and corridors are empty between the Bar and the Common Room. The flames that burn in the black metal brackets have been dimmed down for the night, giving the Castle a strange softness – a hauntingly quiet air that insists, and thrives on the silence of its occupants.

As we pass the long corridor with the enormous windows that leads to the Common Room, we slow down a little, and gaze out into the night. Darkness has engulfed the grounds now, making it near impossible to make out any details of the world beyond. The snow has returned too, falling in a flurry upon the world beyond the glass, and for a moment I get a distant memory of home – of clearing the snow off of the cafe's terrace; updating the chalkboard to advertise our winter specials; walking back into the cafe to hear my mom humming away as the smell of drinks flavoured with cinnamon and gingerbread fill the air.

"I want to go home," I find myself whispering. I realise my eyes are starting to water, and I wipe at them with the back of my hand, shaking my head in an attempt to pull myself together.

"I do too," Hikaru says, in a small voice. He hasn't noticed my tears. He's not even gazing out at the view. He's just staring down at the floor, looking more like a lost kid than anything else. I guess in a way that's how I probably look too. This place really brings out a lot in us...

"C'mon," I say, touching his shoulder, gently. "We're nearly there."

* * *

We finish our walk through the Common Room and up to the Dormitories in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. There's something about the dim lighting in the Dormitory Corridor that suddenly reminds me just how exhausted I am, and I find myself stifling a yawn as we approach the door to my room.

I press my ElectroID to the door and the lock clicks, and I open the door, leading Hikaru into my room. I must have left the lights on when I was last in here, and for a moment I remember how pissed my mom would get when I left lights on at home. Remembering home hurts, but in a way it's the only real comfort I've got right now...

"So, um, yeah, bathroom's just through there," I gesture, "and if you want a change of clothes in the morning or whatever there's some clean stuff in the wardrobe. You look about the same size as me."

"Thanks," he says, with a small smile. "I guess laundry hasn't been a priority for you guys so far, huh?"

"Y'know, I've been thinking about that," I frown, "we've explored four floors here, but there isn't a laundry room in one of them. Give it another day or so and I'll have to start just cleaning my clothes in the sink."

"Very retro," Hikaru chuckles, sitting back on the bed and unlacing his boots.

I lean back against the wall and laugh. "Like, it's just one of those things I put on the back burner. I'm just glad I packed so much clothes."

"Meanwhile I'm literally here with nothing but the clothes I'm wearing," Hikaru says. He kicks his boots off and crosses his legs beneath him.

"I'll keep an eye out for a laundry room," I chuckle. "But, uh, yeah, in the meantime, if you even just want a hoodie or whatever to sleep in, help yourself, and there's towels and whatever else if you want a shower."

"Well, at least there's a shower," he says. "Thank you again though, Kei, for everything."

"No worries," I nod, straightening up and stepping away from the wall. "I'll see you in the morning. If you need to leave the room during the night for whatever, just come find me and I can let you back in – I'll either be in the Library or the Bar."

"Sure thing," he nods, starting to pull off his blue coat. "See you in the morning. Good luck."

"Night," I call back, closing the door over as I step back out into the Corridor.

* * *

I return to the Library about fifteen minutes later, via the Bar. Tray in hand, I make my way over to the Reading Room the others have all gathered in to do their research. There's piles of books from the Library's Medical section scattered and piled across the large table. As I enter, Masashi grunts and shifts a pile that's blocking the light from one of the large brass lamps that illuminate the room.

Ayaka and Mitsu have taken refuge at the far side of the table, each taking turns to read aloud and compare notes from different books. Mitsu's scribbling away rapidly in her notebook, and it looks like she's given one to Ayaka too. They both pause to thank me as I place down their drinks on an empty spot in front of them.

Haru is sat down on the floor at the far corner of the room with a dangerously high pile of books to the side of him. He's rubbing his temples and shaking his head as I approach with his drink, and he just about manages an appreciative grunt as I place his coffee down beside him. He grabs it up off of the floor in an instant and necks some of it back.

"Can't focus..." he snaps as he places the mug back down. "I've just read the same damn sentence about eight times."

"Take a few minutes to just drink your coffee," I tell him. "The break might do you some good."

"It might do us all some good to take a break," Mitsu agrees, rubbing at her eyes. "We've been at this for hours now, and we still have a lot to get through."

"Exhausting ourselves now could certainly prove counter-productive," Ayaka agrees. "A lack of sleep will not help either."

"We're working against the clock here," Masashi says. "Can we really afford to stop at all?" I hand him his mug and he nods his thanks, stiffly. Despite his recent attitude change, it still feels like there's a few walls he's keeping up. I can't really blame him, I guess.

"Wearing ourselves out won't do any of us good, especially if it seems likely we're only going to get worse," Mitsu says. "That reminds me – Kei, could you go check on Fumio? He said he wanted to check out his Talent Lab in case there'd be some specialist books hidden away in there."

"Oh, sure," I nod. "Where is that again?

"Down in the Dungeons," Mitsu says. "Haven't you been down yet?"

I shake my head. "I haven't had the chance to check out all the new places yet. It's all been a little full-on."

"You should do that when you get the chance then," Haru says, pushing himself up off of the floor, and sipping at his coffee. "There's a few useful rooms down in the Dungeon level, actually."

"Hm, maybe I'll take a look around later once I've checked on Fumio," I nod, running a hand through my hair. "I'll let you guys know. But, yeah, don't overwork yourselves. I can take over for one of you guys if you need a break, and I'm sure the others would be happy to help too."

"It's a nice thought," Masashi says, "but I'm not sure if I'd rely on some of them even know how to open a book."

"I'm just gonna pretend you're being mean because you're tired," I sigh. "But yeah, the offer still stands. Don't take all the responsibility when there's a bunch of us that can help out!"

"Thank you, Kei," Ayaka nods.

"See you all soon," I call back, picking up the tray with Fumio's mug and walking off through into the main Library again.

* * *

The Dungeon level is accessed from the descending stairs that had been blocked off in the Entrance Hall when we first arrived here. At the bottom of the stairs is a small antechamber, where an iron gate opens onto a dimly lit chamber. The flames in the brackets here burn bright with a toxic green colour that it hurts to look at for more than a few seconds.

It's definitely a lot shabbier down here compared to the rest of the Castle. I'm not sure whether it's just my imagination, but there's something kind of creepy about it too. The ceiling is low and held up by large arching stone pillars. The air is colder down here, and kind of stale. I don't relish the idea of spending much time down here.

At various intervals along either side of the Dungeon are various doors and iron gates branching off to other rooms. I notice a few of the gates seem to lead onto staircases, ascending, and descending randomly. It must be quite a maze down here. I don't like mazes much – not anymore...

Fumio's Talent Lab is at the very far end of the Dungeon. The large wooden door is arch-shaped, and sits beneath what was probably once a pretty intricate carving of a dragon. Now, though, the dragon's head has been smoothed down and changed to an enormous Monokuma head. It's laughable, and kind of horrifying in equal measure, especially as the toxic green light from the brackets casts deep shadows in the carving. There's something almost alive about it, and I find it difficult to pull my gaze away from it as I knock at the door to Fumio's Lab.

There's no noise from the other side, and for a few moments I start to wonder whether I must have missed him, but then the handle turns and the door swings inward.

"Hello?" Fumio has his goggles on, and there's a strange smell of burning coming from the room beyond. "Oh, Kei, it's you."

He slides the goggles back up his head and looks at me, expectantly. I'm still half-distracted by the creepy carving looming over us. His gaze follows mine and he sighs.

"It's pretty creepy, isn't it?" he says. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, I just came to check on you," I tell him. "I was bringing the others their drinks and they told me you were down here. Here's yours – though it's definitely cooled down a lot now."

I hold out the tray for him and he takes it, gratefully.

"That's fine," he says, gesturing for me to follow him into the Lab. "I usually leave it til it goes cold anyway. Bad habit, probably. Um, d'you want a seat?"

Fumio's Talent Lab is a large, circular room, with several long metal workbenches forming a circle around a central stone dais. A large glass pillar occupies the dais, reaching floor to ceiling, providing a clean, bright light that fills the room. There's a weird anachronistic feel to the place. Like the past and the present is clashing, but Fumio seems to fit in with his surroundings perfectly. Bookshelves line most of the far end of the room, and I can see gaps where Fumio's started pulling out books and manuals, placing them on one of the workbenches, and on the tall chairs that are placed in front of each of them.

Unable to find a clear space to put his mug down, he places it on top of a closed manual, titled: _Modern Medicine: A Chemist's Guide_. He sees my look of horror and smirks.

"Don't worry, I've already looked through it. Nothing useful."

"I don't care," I cry. "You can't use a book as a drinks mat."

He shrugs and clears a few books off of a chair to the side of him. "Seat?"

"I better not," I say, still not taking my eyes off the offending mug. "I was just coming to see if you were okay, and then I said I'd let the others know. Any luck so far?"

"Not yet," he sighs. "Thought I'd found something that might apply but it turned out to be something about the menopause."

"Teenage menopause," I laugh, humourlessly. "Typical."

* * *

I leave Fumio to get back to his research, and drop back in on the others up at the Library to let them know that he hasn't had much luck either. I arrive to find Masashi laid out on the floor with Ayaka's long white coat, folded into a pillow under his head, and Ayaka checking over him, despite the sweat running down her face.

"He started hallucinating," Mitsu tells me. "He started screaming that his coffee had turned to blood. And then he passed out."

"You think this is the next stage then?" I ask, quietly. She nods, grimly.

"I had a pretty intense dream when I fell asleep earlier," I admit. "D'you think that's anything to worry about."

"Not quite yet, I shouldn't think," she says. "I think we're all likely to have bad dreams for a while after what we've seen. Try not to dwell on it too much."

"This is... not good..." Ayaka says, leaning back a little from Masashi's prone form. "His heart rate has slowed down a lot. If it doesn't pick up soon..."

"Shit," Haru hisses. "The bear said we had days. Not hours."

"It's tense, ain't it?" Monokuma says, stepping out from nowhere. He stands at the side of us with his paws folded behind his back. He's looking at Masashi in a way that suggested mild interest more than anything else. I resist the urge to kick him.

"What the hell's happening?"

"It's Monokuma's Syndrome, you know that!" he insists. "Are you so dumb you forgot already?"

"Why is it taking effect so quickly when you told us we had days?" Ayaka asks through gritted teeth.

"Well, y'know, everyone's tolerances are different, right?" Monokuma says, waddling around to check one of the books Haru had left open on the floor. He leans over to read something for a second and then gives the book a non-commital kick. "Immune systems and stuff. It's whatever. I wouldn't bother looking through all these books though. You could read every book on the planet and still not find a cure. Only I have the cure. Oh, well, hum ho, fingers crossed he lives, right, guys?"

"Please," I sigh, my head slumping forwards. "Please don't do this to us."

"Giving up so easy, huh, Barista Boy?" chuckles Monokuma. "Pity. I was expecting more of a fight from you."

As if on cue, the terrible, familiar throb of darkness starts to pulse through my head, and I clutch at the side of my face, suppressing a yell of pain. I can feel myself on the brink of passing out, and I grasp out at the table, willing myself to stay conscious. My arms are shaking from the effort – I think my whole body might be – but right now... I can't let it take me.

Monokuma seems to notice this development, and his red eye glitters as he gives a satisfied chuckle.

"Well, well, well," he says. "Someone's eager to please."

"It's... nothing to do... with you," I say through gritted teeth. But before I can say or do anything more, the world tips sideways, and the last thing I see before my eyes roll back is Haru and Mitsu, rushing to catch me...

* * *

"Shit..."

I sit up, wincing as a sharp pain runs through my head and neck. At first, I don't recognise the room I'm in, but as my eyes adjust to the gloom, I realise I'm in the Medical Wing. It looks different at night – there's something a little creepy about the moonlight coming through the closed over curtains around one of the beds at the end of the room closest to the windows.

Masashi's in one of the other beds on my right hand side. He seems to be snoring quietly now, and his face seems a little more relaxed than I remember seeing it before. He'd probably exerted himself. I'm just glad that – for now – things didn't seem to have got any worse.

"Oh, you are awake..."

Ayaka's quiet voice brings my attention round to my other side. She's sitting up on the bed to my left, surrounded by a pile of books. She rubs at her eyes and places the book down at her side, and hops off the bed to come over to me.

"How are you feeling?" she asks. "You have been out for about two hours now."

"Y-you mean it's getting longer now?" I ask.

"I am not sure," she admits. "Masashi regained consciousness after about an hour, and then fell asleep. I decided it was best to let him rest."

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

She pinches the bridge of her nose and grimaces. "I... I can only hope so. For now at least."

"No luck on the research then?"

She shakes her head.

"Throw me a few books over," I tell her. "Might as well make use of myself while I'm awake."

"You are sure?"

"Yeah, go for it."

She crosses back to the bed she was sitting on and picks out five books from a neat pile, placing them down on the table at my bedside.

"If you get too tired to read, do not force yourself to keep going, alright? It will do more harm than good, even if time is a luxury we do not currently have."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I tell her, taking the first book off the top of the pile. "Has anyone thanked you yet, by the way?"

She seems confused. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Because you've been looking after us all," I say. "It's out of your comfort zone – you've said so yourself – but you've still done the best you can for us when we need it, even when it's affecting you."

"I... I..." She looks genuinely taken aback by this for a moment, but then she gives me a warm smile. "Thank you, Kei."

I manage a laugh. "No, thank you, Ayaka!"

* * *

The night drags on without much incident. Depending on how close to passing out I feel, I flip between the bed and the floor, turning through page upon page of book upon book, and Ayaka does much the same.

As the first light of dawn shines through the Medical Wing's window, Masashi stirs. His face contorts with tiredness and confusion for a moment, but then he blinks at the two of us and his brow furrows.

"What happened to me?"

"Don't you remember?" I ask, quietly.

He shakes his head. "Not completely..." He sighs, and then notices the books around us. "You shouldn't have let me sleep – I could have helped out."

"You were in no condition to help," Ayaka replies. "Kei helped me with the research while you were asleep."

"Thank you," he sighs. "I suppose I should take over now, and you two can rest."

"You've definitely earned a rest, Ayaka," I agree. "I'm feeling okay for now, but you should get your head down for a couple hours. We might need you if anything happens to one of us again."

For a moment, I think she's going to protest, but then she nods. "I suppose you are right. I will go back to my room for a few hours. We have about two hours until the Morning Announcement anyway."

"And I'll get back to the Library," Masashi says, throwing off his covers and retrieving his boots from where they'd been placed under his bed.

"I'll go see if anyone else is still awake then," I say, pushing myself up off of the floor. "And I can get the coffee brewing while I'm at it. You having one?"

Masashi looks uncomfortable for a moment, and I remember what Mitsu said about his hallucination. He shakes his head. "No, I think the sleep has paid off, thank you," he says. "I'll see you both later."

With that, he pulls his coat back on and walks off briskly, leaving Ayaka and I to collect up all the books we'd spent all night going over.

* * *

After returning the books to the Reading Room – where Masashi was already back at work, half-buried under medical journals and textbooks – I walk Ayaka back to the Common Room, and bid her farewell. She makes me promise I'll take a rest if I need to, and I remind her I've done as I've been told so far. She seems fairly satisfied by this, and disappears up the stairs to the Dormitories with a weary smile.

There's nobody else around here at this point, so I decide to check the Ground Floor. It looks like there's no-one in the Entrance Hall either, but strangely enough, one of the large doors has been left slightly ajar. Curiosity piqued, I make my way across the Hall, and approach the doorway.

I'm only a few feet away when I hear voices approaching from outside, and despite recognising the voices, I press myself in against the wall, hoping the shadows would hide me.

"I'll take really good care of them, Daisuke."

"I-I know you will, Mr Shirane." I notice poor Daisuke's teeth are chattering as the Florist and the Sailor walk into the Hall. Daisuke's hugging himself tightly, despite Miniro's large jacket he has draped over his shoulders.

It kind of reminded me of being a kid, and how, just after my dad passed away, I started wearing his favourite red coat all the time. It was way too big for me, and I always had to roll the sleeves up a bunch of times to even see my hands. My mom saw me wearing it, and for a second I thought she was gonna be really mad at me, but instead, she smiled, wiped a tear that was running down her cheek, and told me how much I looked like him...

For a second, I feel like I'm staring at myself in the doorway, lit by a shaft of morning light that gradually thins as Miniro heaves the door over. It's not Daisuke there anymore. It's Kei. Little six year old Kei Kamiya. In a long, red coat.

 _No._

I screw my eyes closed, and open them again a second later. Daisuke and Miniro have their backs to me, both walking off in the direction of the Staircase. I breathe a sigh of relief – the last thing I needed was a hallucination to get me caught. There had been something about this moment though – like it would have been rude to make my presence known. Like intruding in their own private little world...

"So these ones are daffodils, right?" I can hear Miniro asking. "And that has a meaning, right?"

"Um, well, there's usually several meanings... L-like an alstroemeria could mean fortune, or wealth, or f-friendship," Daisuke replies, quietly.

"What one was that again? The red one?"

"N-no, it was the pink and yellow ones that were on the top balcony."

"Oh, yeah, I know the ones you mean! So, what does a daffodil mean?"

"I... well... it can mean... several things, like a single daffodil can mean bad fortune."

"Lucky there's a few here then, huh?"

Daisuke makes a weird choking noise that I realise is some sort of nervous laugh, and I leave that little mystery to resolve itself as they pass through the door that leads to the base of the Staircase.

Only when I'm sure they're gone, I move out of the shadows and head off towards the Dining Hall to see if anyone else is hanging around. I still feel a little weird after that... was it a hallucination? I mean, I'm still really tired – could it have just been I got a little too in my head for a second?

I don't know...

I glance back over my shoulder towards the main doors, but I don't bother asking the man in the red coat either. I feel like his answer would only break my heart...

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	11. Chapter 02: Despairborne (V)

"Fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever..."

Blessing is muttering the word over and over again under her breath, flipping through the pages of an enormous book. At first, she doesn't hear me approach, but after a few moments she looks up from her reading and smiles wearily at me in greeting. She looks exhausted – her long hair, the colour of midnight, is tied up in a messy ponytail, and her dark eyes are dim with exhaustion.

"Morning," I greet her.

"Oh, gosh, is it already?" she says, quietly. "The time sort of... got away from me, I suppose. Are you alright?"

"Not sure," I murmur, sliding down into the seat across from her. "I've been up most of the night too. So far, nobody's found anything by the sounds of it, though."

She nods, grimly. "This... this just feels so hopeless. I can't even act like I'm not afraid."

"I don't blame you for that," I reply, rubbing at my eyes. "You don't need to act brave, y'know."

She looks up at me now, with a serious look in her eyes. "Oh, Kei, I think we all need to act brave right now."

I lower my gaze to the tabletop, and absent-mindedly start tracing my finger over the lines in its wooden surface. I can't quite find the words to reply to her, but in my peripheral vision I can see her shake her head.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she mumbles. "I didn't mean that to sound so..."

"Don't apologise," I reply, our eyes meeting again, "I know what you mean. You have a point, really."

"Would you like to go for a walk?" she says, suddenly. "I could do with moving myself a little."

I agree to go for a walk with Blessing, and we head out into the Grounds for a while. We talk as we go, and I feel like I got a little closer to her during the walk.

We retreat back to the Castle, and settle down by the fire in the Common Room.

"A good walk always makes me feel better," Blessing says, sinking back into her chair, "but I enjoy a warm fire and a comfy seat just as much."

"Me too," I agree, ahh'ing with satisfaction as I get comfy. The fire crackles and we enjoy the quiet for a moment.

"You know..." Blessing says, "this might sound stupid, but I've been thinking about the medical dramas I've been in. Trying to remember every word from every script to find something – no matter how seemingly insignificant that could apply to this scenario..."

"You've been in a few, right?" I nod. "I seem to remember seeing you in one or two..."

"Yes," she says, seemingly a little embarrassed. "A few of them were only bit parts. A hospital patient or a family member or whoever. I had a main role in a mini-series called _First Response_ though, I played..."

"A medical student," I recall. "That was the one that started with the rollercoaster crash, right?"

"Oh, yes," she nods, and looks to be remembering something with a fond smile. "It was when we were filming that, and my character had to get to the top of the ferris wheel, that I got stuck. All the way up – I don't even know how high... It was terrifying though, being able to look down at everyone below – the cast and the crew, all so tiny down there..."

"How long were you stuck for?"

"Only five minutes or so," Blessing laughs. "I was scared witless the whole time, but as soon as they got the camera going I was ready to go in a second."

"That's really impressive," I chuckle. "It's like what you were saying before, yeah?"

"Hm?" Her brows dip as she frowns her confusion at me.

"What you said in the Dining Hall, about acting brave," I remind her. She nods her understanding.

"Yes, well, sometimes the situation... requires it," she says. "The difference in this place is that the cameras are always on. Even an Ultimate Actress can't keep up a constant act."

"I..."

"It's alright," she says with a small smile. "I'm not letting it get to me. There isn't enough time for that."

"We'll sort this, Blessing," I tell her, leaning forward in my chair. "I'm sure of it."

"I like your optimism, Kei," she chuckles. "I'm sure we can too! In the meantime though, I think I might put my head down for a short while."

"Yeah, sure thing," I nod. "I'll see you later on."

"Thank you for keeping me company, Kei. You're a good listener."

She gets up from her chair and bows her head slightly at me, before she heads off up the stairs. I find myself reflecting on our conversation for a short while after, still suppressing that little part of me that's totally starstruck by her. She's a very nice, down-to-earth person, though I get the feeling this place is getting to her. Not unlike it's getting to me...

* * *

I'm back in the Dining Hall when the Monokuma Announcement calls throughout the Castle. I've taken over from Blessing, reading over the large book she's left open on one of the long tables. Strangely, different sections of the book are written in different languages, and I find myself struggling to separate the Japanese from some of the other writing. Once again though, it feels like reading the back of a cereal box would be more helpful, and I slam the book's cover over with a deep sigh, moments before the Dining Hall door inches open and some of the others start to file in.

Yamato is the first to trudge in, looking pretty dishevelled. He slumps down into a seat across from me, and manages to give me a small wave as he lets out a huge yawn. Kimi and Ino come in behind him, passing me with brief noises of acknowledgement, heading off towards the Kitchen, followed by Yuki, who informs us she's just going to make a ton of toast for everyone.

"Feel like shit," Yamato grunts, scratching at the stubble that's starting to appear on his chin. "Barely slept."

"Me neither." I shake my head. "Passed out and got an hour, but I've been up most of the night since then. I gave Hikaru my room."

"Speaking of..." he says, inclining his head over towards the doors. I look over to see Hikaru and Mitsu walk in, both deep in conversation. Hikaru seems to be quite puzzled at whatever it is they're talking about, while Mitsu's expression is fairly neutral. Like the rest of us, they both look fairly exhausted.

"One day of this and we're all reeling already," I hear Mitsu saying as they approach. "Good morning, you two."

"Is it?" Yamato says bitterly. He seems to realise how rude that sounds and shakes his head. "Oh, no, but, yeah, good morning."

"How'd you sleep?" I ask Hikaru. He rubs at his neck.

"Not as well as I'd have liked," he admits. "I couldn't quite switch my brain off."

"I know how you mean," I sigh. "It's been a rough night. I think most of the others are still in bed."

"I'd like to have stayed in bed," Yamato sighs, "but I remembered seeing some old books on using snake venoms for medicinal shit in my Talent Lab, so I said I'd let Haru have a look over them."

"Snake venoms?" Hikaru grimaces. "For... medicinal stuff?"

"Oh, yeah!" Yamato nods, enthused at getting the chance to talk about his field of expertise. "Different kinds of venom have been used for treating stuff like high blood pressure and tumours and stuff. And there's a few snakes up there that could be worth looking into."

"Y-you mean there's actually snakes in the school?!" squeaks Hikaru. His face goes chalk-white, though he manages to look apologetic when Yamato narrows his eyes at him.

"Snakes are very misunderstood creatures, y'know," he says, jaw clenched. "In fact, just check out this little guy."

He raises his hand, and at first I think he's just showing us two blue-grey rings around his finger, but then I realise the 'rings' are moving, twirling around his fingers at a leisurely pace. Yamato seems to coo at it and the tiny little snake raises its round head to inspect him. A miniscule little tongue darts out for a moment, tasting the air.

"I never realised snakes that small even existed," I murmur, trying not to break the weird staring contest Yamato and the tiny snake appear to be engaged in. He's running his long fingers over it gently, like he's petting it, and I notice that it has a marking around its neck, kind of like an orange necklace.

"A ringneck snake," Mitsu says, watching with mild interest. "They're most common over in parts of America, I'm sure."

" _Diadophis punctatus_ ," Yamato adds, not taking his eyes off of the _Diadophis punctatus_ in question. "I call him Orochi."

"You found him in your Lab, then?" Mitsu asks.

"That's right," Yamato nods. "I didn't even mean to take him out with me, but he hid in my pocket."

Not for the first time, I imagine what the inside of Yamato's Talent Lab looks like, and fight the urge to shudder. Even so, there's something kind of sweet about the little ringneck. Its went back to twirling around Yamato's fingers in a circuit of eight. Yamato smiles fondly at the little creature and puts his hand into his jacket pocket.

"They prefer the dark," he explains. He glances at Hikaru. "You over the whole snake thing now?"

He looks even paler than before, and I realise he hasn't even moved the whole time Yamato was showing us Orochi. His shoulders have tensed up though, I notice, and I decide it's best to steer away from this situation.

"C'mon, you," I say, standing up and guiding him away from the table. "Let's see if Yuki needs a hand." I look back at Yamato and smile a little, and he smirks back in turn. Mitsu looks between the two of us and shakes her head a little, but there's a hint of a tired smile on her lips as she sits down at the table, in the seat next to my vacant one.

It takes the short distance from our table to the Kitchen staircase for Hikaru to recover a little, and his grimace slowly turns to a queasy smile as we make our way downwards.

"Not a big fan of snakes," he says, quietly.

"Neither am I, mostly," I tell him. "I'm dreading the day he starts giving out invites to visit his Lab."

"These Lab things..." Hikaru says. "You showed me yours last night, right? Your bar?"

"Yeah," I nod. "So far I think we've only found mine, Ino's, Fumio's, Daisuke's, and Yamato's."

"Do you suppose there might be one for me somewhere?" he asks. "I mean, I don't even have a room yet, so I suppose its unlikely, but you know..."

"We could take a look around after we've eaten, if you want?" I suggest. "I mean, in this place I wouldn't be surprised if a room turned up, really."

"I think I'd like that," Hikaru nods. He stops as we reach the bottom of the stairs to fidget with one of his hair grips. "There's still a lot of this place I haven't seen yet. And... well, I'm still kind of hoping we'll find a way out."

I nod. "That'd be nice. C'mon, let's see how the toast's going."

* * *

Breakfast goes fairly quietly this morning. Kimi and Ino barely say a word, and even Yuki seems subdued compared to her usual bubbly self. We're all worn out and worried – for ourselves and each other. None of the others show up while we eat our toast, and suddenly it's like no-one has it in them to even talk.

Mitsu gets up from the table, picking up the notebook she's been looking over while she'd ate, and slides it back into her bag.

"I'm going to head back up to the Library," she says. "You're all as well getting some rest while you can."

"Fuck getting a rest!" snaps Ino, slamming her fist down on the table. Her chair screeches as she pushes herself up and she glares at Mitsu. "Is this all we've got left to look forward to? Dropped off on the sidelines like children while the grown-ups keep on working?"

The others all look fairly taken aback at Ino's outburst, except Mitsu, who gazes back at her coolly.

"I never said that," she says. "If you want to help, you can. But getting angry isn't going to solve anything."

"Don't _patronise_ me," Ino spits, fists clenched at her sides. "The way I see it, there's only one way of getting rid of this stupid fucking sickness. And Monokuma's right."

"M-Monokuma's right?" I gasp. "Ino, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean," she growls, not taking her eyes off of Mitsu. "Don't act fucking oblivious."

"I... I really think we should all just calm down," Hikaru says, quietly.

"And who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?" she retorts. Hikaru wilts a little under her gaze, but she doesn't stop at that. "You expect to just appear and act like your opinion even matters? Nobody cares what you have to say."

"Ino!" Yuki cries loudly, pushing herself up from her seat. She looks genuinely furious – a look of anger I never would have imagined coming from her. Ino looks at her, seemingly just as surprised as I am. Then, nostrils flaring, she turns away, shouldering past Mitsu on her way past. Mitsu steadies herself against the table, and then there's nothing else we can do but watch as Ino storms off, muttering under her breath as she goes.

"Out of my way!" she snaps, shoving past Fumio as he passes her in the doorway. He stumbles a little, winded, and then recovers, looking over at us in confusion.

"What the hell was that about?" he asks.

"This morning isn't quite going the way I'd hoped," Mitsu sighs.

"A-are you okay?" Hikaru asks her.

"I'm fine," she says, matter-of-factly. "I've dealt with worse." She pauses for a moment and then sighs. "Anyway, I best be going."

And with that, she was gone. Fumio sits down beside Yamato and yawns, stretching his arms wide.

"I don't suppose I'll get an explanation for that, then?" he asks.

"Well, it was quite something," Kimi says, drily. "I much prefer dinner and a show, as opposed to breakfast and an outburst."

"She shouldn't have said those things," Yuki replies, slumping back into her chair, suddenly looking exhausted. "Oh... I think... it's getting..."

"Yuki!"

Her eyes roll back and her head lolls forwards, and with a quiet sigh she loses consciousness completely.

"Can anything else go wrong this morning?" Yamato groans, getting up from his seat. "Let's get her up to bed before we all freakin' fall down."

"I just wanted some breakfast," Fumio says, sadly.

* * *

Hikaru and I volunteer to stay with Yuki in the Medical Wing, but Kimi – in a surprising turn of events – insists that she'll stay with her, shooing Hikaru and I away.

"You have been up most of the night anyway, haven't you?" she points out to me. "You'd do well to get some rest while you can."

"What about you though?" I ask. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"I do not mind," she says with a shrug. "I've never had much success with books, so I'm best suited here. I'll leave what you do in your spare time to you."

"I really appreciate it, Kimi," I nod. "I could probably manage a couple hours sleep if I want to be of any use to anyone, if I'm honest."

"Then I will see you later," she says, simply. She manages a small smile – and I'm surprised to see just how much of a change it makes from her usual look of mild displeasure. She manages a slight nod of acknowledgement to Hikaru, and then she walks off to sit by Yuki's bedside.

We take a last look back, and then head off out of the Medical Wing, back out into the large Hall with all the pillars and suits of armour.

"Hey, remember when we were talking yesterday about laundry?" Hikaru pipes up, his voice echoing around us. "Mitsu told me, on our way down to breakfast earlier, that there's a Laundry Room down in the Dungeon."

"No way," I chuckle. "Of all the places. I guess that's one thing I can do before I go for a lie down."

"I'll tag along to the Laundry Room with you, if you don't mind the company," he says. "I'm still trying to get my bearings, and the map on the ElectroID's only getting me so far."

I nod at him. "Yeah, sure," I say. "C'mon, we'll jump by my room first so I can get my stuff."

* * *

The Laundry Room was a fairly long room, just a few doors up from Fumio's Talent Lab. It was a long, white room, with a wall of washing machines on one side, and dryers on the other. There were clothes lines and racks at the far end of the room too, with several benches in the middle of the room for us to sit on while we waited on my clothes. I'd decided just to put them in for a quick wash.

So I ended up down in the Laundry Room with Hikaru while I waited on my clothes, despite feeling pretty exhausted. I felt like we got a little closer.

"I'll walk you back up to your room," he says. "You look ready to drop."

"Would't be the first time I've dropped," I point out, hoisting up the small laundry basket with my clothes in it, all folded. "How are you coping, anyway?"

"I wish I could tell you for certain," he replies, holding the door open for me. "It just feels like everything I've ever known is over."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around things too," I sigh. "It's just... one thing after the other."

"I just can't believe this is... happening, honestly." He fiddles with his hair, absent-mindedly. "I just can't imagine what else you've had to cope with so far."

The past few days flash through my mind, for what feels like the thousandth time, and I try not to let the images of Arata and Cho burn into my thoughts. Easier said than done.

"I know it's cliché to say I know how you feel," Hikaru says, sadly, "but I do understand... I've... I've lost people before."

I'm a little taken aback at this, and for a moment I don't know what to say, but before I can speak up, Hikaru looks at me with those big, sad violet eyes of his.

"Sorry... bit overshare-y, right?"

"No," I shake my head. "Don't worry about oversharing." I manage to smile at him. "I think in this situation, there's not really a limit to that, huh?"

"I... guess," Hikaru sighs. "It's just... so weird putting everything through this... sort of filter to apply it to being here. It's like learning another language, I guess."

"Not really one you can put on a resumé, huh?" I agree. We exchange sad smiles for a moment and then continue our journey, passing through the Entrance Hall now. I speak up again.

"I... I'm sorry."

He seems confused by this. "Why?"

"For your losses," I say. "I meant to say it before, but I... I kind of forgot to say it at the time. I'm sorry."

He shakes his head. "It's... fine, Kei. It's something that couldn't be helped. The world's like that sometimes."

"I get that," I nod. "I... lost my dad when I was just a kid."

"Oh, Kei, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," I say. "Well, no, it never really is, is it? But it was a long time ago, y'know? You kind of just... keep on going."

"It's easier said than done sometimes," Hikaru sighs.

"Whoever it is you lost," I tell him, "they'd want you to be happy, right?"

Hikaru seems kind of lost for a moment, and he stops to wipe at his eyes. He sniffs a little and then gives me a wobbly smile.

"I... I like to think so, yeah," he agrees. "Sorry for crying. Last thing we need is me getting... y'know..."

"Don't apologise, honestly, it's okay," I tell him. "Hell, wouldn't be the first time I've cried here." I decide to steer the conversation away from that. "Anyway, what are you gonna get up to while I'm catching up on a couple hours sleep?"

He considers this for a moment and then nods with a newly found determination. "I'm gonna check in on Yuki and Kimi, and then I'll probably get down to the Library and see what I can do."

"Sounds like a plan," I nod. We're approaching the Common Room now, and I give him a small smile as we reach the passage. "Please come get me if anything happens, okay?"

"Will do," he says. "Hopefully, I can wake you up with some good news!"

"I feel lousy that I need to sleep when I could be helping..." I admit.

"You're exhausted, Kei," Hikaru replies, giving me a concerned look. "Your eyes are super bloodshot – you're not gonna be able to get much reading done if you can't even see."

"I guess you're right," I sigh. "A couple hours might make the world of difference, though."

"You'll be too weak to do anything without getting some rest, so just do as you're told and go lie down," he says, serious now. "I know you wanna help, but you won't be helping anyone – least yourself – by working yourself beyond help."

"Okay, okay." I admit defeat and open the door to the Common Room, and then turn back to face him. "You're okay though, yeah?"

"Better for speaking with you," he nods. "I know we barely know each other, Kei, but you've been really kind to me, and I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," I tell him. "See you later, okay?"

He nods and raises a hand in a farewell wave. "See you."

* * *

I find myself dwelling on my time with Hikaru as I make my way up the stairs to my room. He's a nice guy, trying to deal with the situation as best he can – like the rest of us. But despite that sense of optimism, there was... that look in his eyes – like a sadness I couldn't even begin to imagine. He spoke about losing people before, hadn't he? I wondered, suddenly, what others could see in mine...

* * *

I'm so exhausted that the panic and anxiety of the disease ravaging my mind and body barely have the chance to kick in before I'm falling into a deep sleep. My nightmares are fairly vivid – glimpses of thick, viscous blood, and the glint of a blade as it cuts through a night lit faintly by a crimson moon.

I see myself. The light in my eyes fading as I lay in a snowbank, life pouring out of me, warm blood staining the snow around me. I'm not the only one. Other bodies lie fallen around me, scattered and broken, like the discarded toys of children, abandoned and without purpose.

I'm almost glad to be woken by the insistent screech of the room's intercom system, and I find myself already halfway across the room before I realise I only have underwear on. Bleary-eyed, I grab my hoodie off of the back of the chair I'd left it on and quickly pull it on to cover myself a little as I approach the door and open it.

"Oh, thank god you're okay," Fumio says, breathing a sigh of relief. He's flanked at both sides by Hikaru and Blessing. "Everyone who's... y'know... conscious, is meeting downstairs for lunch to go over everything. Come on."

"I should probably... get dressed first," I point out, gesturing at my bare legs. He looks at me in confusion for a moment and then nods.

"You're probably right."

"If you wanna wait here, I'll be a couple seconds."

I disappear back into my room, closing the door behind me, and rush around to pick up some newly clean clothes. It takes me a minute or so longer because I've forgot where I've put my clean socks, but soon enough I'm quickly fighting my feet into my sneakers and returning to the door, where the three of them are still waiting on me.

"Good to go," I tell them, pulling the door closed behind me again.

"Let's go then," Blessing says. "The others should all be downstairs already."

* * *

Despite the circumstances, I'm surprised to see any absences at the table in the Dining Hall when we arrive. Masashi and Haru don't bother to look up from their books as we walk in, and Mitsu more or less glances up at us and nothing more. Ayaka closes her book over, careful to put a bookmark in between the pages before she does. Ino, meanwhile is sitting a little away from the rest of them, scowling at everything and nothing, while Miniro, Kaori, and Yamato sit, all looking fairly miserable.

"The others..." I start.

"Medical Wing," Ayaka responds, grimly. "I found Kimi unconscious besides Yuki's bed earlier. Neither of them have woken since."

Blessing, Fumio, Hikaru, and I all take our seats, and I notice another absentee. Miniro sees me looking at Daisuke's empty seat and nods.

"I had only just met Daisuke an hour ago when he passed out," he explains. "I carried him up to the Medical Wing myself."

"Things are taking a turn for the worse," Mitsu sighs. She closes her book over and steeples her fingers. "Ayaka managed a few tests using the medical equipment available and it looks like Monokuma's Syndrome is accelerating its take-over."

"So we have three distinct things so far, right?" Yamato says. "First it's the fever, then the passing out, then the hallucination shit?"

"I suspect the hallucinations are a side-effect of the Syndrome beginning to affect our memories," Ayaka adds. "Unless anyone has hallucinated anything they find particularly unimaginable?"

There are a few shakes of heads and murmurs.

"So next is the memory loss, right?" I say.

"It seems so," Haru says, finally looking up from the book in front of him. "But before we discuss that... who are you again?"

He looks at me with a blank expression for a moment and a jolt of panic runs through me, but then a small smirk appears on his face and he looks away again.

"Not funny, man," Yamato says. The tiny ringsnake curled around his fingers raises it head and seems to nod in agreement, before returning to a more important task taking place somewhere inside Yamato's sleeve.

"This is the part where things get most difficult though," Mitsu says. "None of us have had any noticable memory loss yet, but it seems to be a matter of _when_ as opposed to _if_."

"And then brain-death, right?" Kaori asks, grimly.

"Brain-death." She nods. "The concern here is that as soon as the memory loss starts taking effect, we're in real trouble. Basing things on what Monokuma told us, that's the last rung on the ladder."

"And there's not much we can do to combat that," Haru adds, running a hand through his mess of orange hair.

"But are we even anywhere near finding a cure?" Kaori asks, brows furrowed. Mitsu and Haru shake their heads, both looking fairly defeated all of a sudden.

"It's like we're going round in circles, really," Mitsu admits. "I've done all my usual researching techniques, but even with that huge Library our resources are fairly limited."

"I've been over most of the books in my Lab too," Fumio says. He's gazing down at the table, like he's too ashamed to even look up. "I'm pretty much in the same boat. It's beginning to look like Monokuma was right. I thought... there'd definitely be... be something, y'know?"

"You're all doing your best," Blessing says. She pats Fumio's hand and he looks up at her with sad eyes. "You can't give up now though, okay?"

"Easier said than done," he sighs, but then he sniffs and wipes his eyes on his sleeve and shakes himself a little. "But I can't give up yet, you're right. Feeling sorry for myself doesn't do us any favours."

"We need to keep working together," Blessing says. "Fifteen heads are better than one, after all."

"Working together..." Hikaru echoes, suddenly looking thoughtful. He rubs at his chin and then looks up at us all. "Well, there's a kinda solution right there!"

"What do you mean?" Masashi asks, finally looking up from his reading material.

"We work together!" Hikaru cries, enthusiastically. "We all stay together in the one place where we can all keep working through all the research and stuff and that way we don't need to worry about anyone getting into any trouble if things... y'know..." He trails off.

"Take a turn for the worse," Mitsu finishes. She seems to consider what he's said for a few seconds and then she nods. "Well, I can't see any other idea that's really going to help us."

"Where should we do that though?" Kaori asks. "Like, passing out is one thing, but we might only have one night left, and if we fall asleep..."

"The rules say we're only allowed to sleep in the Dormitories," Yamato realises. "But, hey, what about the Medical Wing? We've had people sleeping up there on-off, right?"

"The rules were updated after that floor was opened to us," Haru says, taking his ElectroID out and waving it in his hand at us.

"Rule Three," Miniro reads aloud. "Sleeping anywhere other than the Dormitory or the Medical Wing will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly."

"I guess that makes sense," I say. "Though I'm glad that's the case, seeing as I fell asleep there... was that only yesterday?" I groan in frustration, pinching my nose. "I can't keep track of time anymore, jeez... I can't remember..."

"What?"

All eyes are suddenly on me, wide and concerned. I realise what I've said and my heart sinks.

"I'm just tired," I say. "Don't worry, honestly."

"When was it you slept there, Kei?" Haru asks, stony-faced. I rack my brains, but with a sudden feeling of terror, I realise there's a sudden cloud in my mind.

"I... I..."

"Kei..."

"It must have been yesterday, right?" I say. "Or... no, could it have been... before? I... I don't understand. I can't..." I press my hands, now trembling slightly, up to my temples and rub at them, as if I'm expecting this to jog my memory. "I can't..."

Suddenly, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Since this morning, it had happened a few times now. Those little moments where I'd spaced out or missed something obvious... I had just put it down as me being tired but... now...

"I can't... C-can't..."

"You can't remember," Mitsu finishes for me, grimly. She can't quite meet my gaze as she says this, and somehow this makes things a hundred times worse. A terrifying realisation dawns on me, eyes widening as the others around me can only look on in shock.

It was something I'd really known deep down for a while now – ever since Monokuma had told us what was happening. Perhaps even before then... perhaps even on that first day. Ironic in a way that I could remember that detail so suddenly.

I was never going to escape this Castle...

I was never going to see my mom again...

I was never going to get out alive...

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	12. Chapter 02: Despairborne (VI)

"Kei, you're having a panic attack. You need to calm down."

The voice is distant, and I can't tell who it is that's speaking. I can't tell much about what's happening right now. I can't breathe – my lungs are already burning with a lack of air as I fall sideways, trying to grasp the table as my knees collide with the flagstone floor.

Faces swim in my vision for a few long moments, and I get a strange, disconnected feeling that I slowly register is someone touching my arm.

"Slow breaths, Kei, okay? Slow breaths."

"T-ry-ing..."

I suddenly become very aware of the passage of time. Some part of my brain is ticking off the second as they pass, while the rest of it waits patiently for the oxygen to return to it. A minute passes by and I start to settle, and the world starts to come into proper focus again.

"Are you okay to drink some water?" Ayaka asks me. She's kneeling down beside me, gazing intently into my eyes. I manage a small nod, and she reaches up to Fumio, who must have dashed to fetch water. It's been poured into a plastic cup and I nod gratefully as I take the cup in my still shaking hands.

"I'm okay," I murmur in between sips. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"We know, Kei," Mitsu says, quietly.

"Just take it easy, okay, man?" Yamato tells me. "Had us worried there."

I can only really nod. I'm still trying to process this. My memory's going, and I hadn't even realised it til moments ago. Since this morning, the little things I thought I'd simply overlooked were really big ringing alarm bells.

"Jeez, that was scary..."

"You okay?"

I fight the urge to just shrug. Talking seems like too much effort, but I manage to force some more words out. "No, not really if I'm honest."

"That's to be expected," Blessing says, quietly. She gives me a sympathetic look – not pitying, but a look that translated her complete sincerity. "I am so very sorry, Kei."

"And it won't be long til it starts affecting us, right?" Miniro asks, looking round at a few of the others for confirmation. Ayaka averts her gaze, looking rather devastated, while Fumio starts to fidget with his goggles. Masashi doesn't even seem to be the one who wants to say it, and it falls on Haru to confirm Miniro's question with a sharp nod.

Miniro nods too, slowly, like he's trying to process this information and then turns and takes a few paces towards the door. He stops and I see his fists clench at his sides as he lets out a long, shudderng breath.

"This... is all my fault," he says through gritted teeth. "I shattered that vial. Even if I didn't know it was there, that's still on me. I... I owe you all so many words of apology, I'm not even sure where to begin. I need to make this right. For all of you... and for Daisuke."

By now I've managed to push myself up onto my feet again, and I clutch the table to support myself. Miniro looks over his shoulder at me and then he turns back to face away from us.

"Miniro..." I start, but he cuts over what I'm about to say.

"I need to make this right," he says, louder than he had the first time. "If its the closest to atonement I can get in this place, that's what I'm going to do."

His fists unclench and he lets out another long, slow exhale.

"I'm going to go and see the others," he says, pacing away towards the doors that lead back out into the Entrance Hall. "I'll see you all later."

"He still blames himself for everything," Hikaru says sadly, as Miniro's retreating form disappears through the door. "From the little I've seen of him, he's a good person. He shouldn't blame himself."

"Some would argue that blaming himself is what makes him a good person," Haru replies. He's standing now, with his hands tucked into his pockets as usual. He seems to be staring at the doors, like he can see Miniro on the other side, and there's almost a sort of look of admiration on his face.

"What would you argue?" Hikaru asks. Haru looks at him and frowns for a moment, then smiles that sly smirk of his.

"I suppose I'd say I'm not the right person to ask," he says. For a moment, we all stop and consider this, but then he breaks the silence by grabbing his book off the table and tucking it under his arm. "Now, you were talking about us all moving up to the Medical Wing, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah," Hikaru says. "It's the most sensible place I can think of, at least."

"I would say you're right, for what it's worth," Mitsu agrees. "It's good to keep us all together in exactly the place we'd want to be, should anything else happen."

"If you all don't mind," Blessing says, "I think it might be helpful to give Miniro a few minutes before we all move up there." She runs her fingers through her hair, absent-mindedly. "I think he would appreciate that after how he was talking before."

"You're probably right," Yamato agrees. "But, um, Kei, are you alright?"

That name sounds familiar... That's... me, right?

"Oh," I say, "yeah, sorry..."

He gives me a concerned look, and I gaze back at him.

"I'm okay," I tell him. "As okay as I can be for now."

"I know it's probably easier said than done," the girl with the yellow cardigan – Mitso... I think her name is – says, "but if you feel like there's anything significant you can't remember, let us know."

I can't remember what it is I'm meant to not remember, but I puzzle over this for a few moments and then nod my understanding.

Mitsu! That's her name...

She wants me to remember that I'm forgetting...

C'mon, Kei, get a grip.

I shake my head a little, and I feel a bit more clarity than perhaps I had felt before. Normal service resumed, I decided to follow the others out of the Dining Hall as we worked on our plan.

"All we need for our last night on Earth, huh?" Yamato says, grimly. Nobody laughs. Barely even smiles. The girl from the movies... Blessing, her name is, I think... she sort of smiles at this, but I think it's only out of politeness.

Our last night on Earth?

* * *

The hours ticked by, ranging from mercifully slow to terrifyingly quick. I knew I was having memory problems, and I realised that part of the problem was that I kept forgetting when I had last checked the clock, condemning myself to another, and another, and – oh, just one more! - peek at the time, mentally trying, and failing, not to see it as a countdown to our imminent deaths. Of course, passing out again hadn't helped much either...

I've been sat in one of the private rooms in the Medical Wing for a while now, more or less twiddling my thumbs since I woke up, trying to hold onto the hope that I haven't forgot anything important while I've been out of it...

There was a knock at the door, pulling me out of my reverie, and I slid off the bed and went over to answer it, to find Hikaru on the other side.

"Oh, you're awake!" he says, happily. "That's good! I wasn't sure whether you would be or not but I figured it was polite to knock first anyway, you know?"

"More or less," I nod. "I feel like my brain's in an oven – I could happily sleep again, if I'm honest. What's happening?"

"Well, after you passed out on the way up here," he says, "the others kind of came to an agreement that those that could still work at the research were as well taking the main ward of the Medical Wing, and putting the others into the private rooms so that we weren't working around them, and also that they were close enough for us to check in on every so often, y'know?"

"Makes sense, I guess," I nod. "Is the research getting anywhere?"

He gazes down at his shoes, looking a little uncomfortable. "Not really, if I'm honest. We seem to just be going in circles with what we're looking over. And... um... no, never mind..."

"What is it?" I ask, quietly. "Are you okay?"

"It's not me," he says, shaking his head. He looks over his shoulder and then back at me, leaning in a little to whisper, "I think a few of the others are starting to have memory... difficulties too."

"Not just me then," I say. "Can't say I'm happy to hear it though." I rub at my temples for a second and frown. "It's our... second day of this, isn't it?"

"Second evening," he says, grimly. "Monokuma made it sound like we'd be lucky if we make it to see a third morning."

"So... it could be hours we have left." I make my way back over to the bed and slump down into it with a loud sigh. "I'm too tired to even get upset."

"I wish I was," Hikaru replies, leaning against the doorframe. He doesn't say anything for a few long moments and then... "It's my birthday in a few weeks. Stupid thing to think about now, isn't it?"

"Hikaru..." I look up at him, but he's staring down at his shoes again.

"Kei, honestly, it's fine. Sorry, I'm just..." He waves a hand vaguely and then shrugs. "Um, I'm gonna head back and see how the others are getting on. Coming?"

I hop back off the bed. "Yeah, c'mon, let's go."

I don't know what to say to him right now, really. I don't know what to say about anything...

* * *

"Oh, back with us, huh?" Kaori calls out to me as I walk into the ward with Hikaru.

"More or less," I call back. "How are the rest of you guys feeling?"

There's a few murmurs and vague grumbling, but I can translate that as 'things could be worse'. They're all scattered across the ward, with most of them in groups of two or three, with the exception of Haru and Masashi, who are sitting at the far end of the room by the windows, where the last orange rays of sunset are shining in, casting long shadows across the walls and floor. It's kind of unexpected to be getting this, seeing as we're so far up the mountains...

Wait, we are up in the mountains, right?

I shake my head a little, as if that'll dislodge the confusion, but it doesn't seem to do much. I follow Hikaru over to where he's sitting with Mitsu and Ayaka, and pull up a chair.

"No news then," I say. "Which in itself isn't exactly good news."

"I've always thought that saying was stupid," Mitsu agrees. "No news is usually bad news, I tend to find."

"Says the journalist," Hikaru smiles. "You're not wrong though."

"If I'm honest, this is really pushing me," she sighs, slapping her hand down on the open book in front of her. "It's a literal paper trail of books referencing other books. We have them all, but they aren't doing any good!"

"It is frustrating work," Ayaka admits. "I am finding it hard to keep up with all of the referencing these volumes are doing. If we had a computer for some sort of filing system, we might have been able to eliminate a lot of unnecessary information."

"A computer!" My eyes widen as realisation hits me, and I jump back out of my seat. I slap myself on the forehead with the palm of my hand and nod, enthusiastically. "The two laptops in the archive! Libraries always have those computers you can use for looking through all the available books, right?"

"The archive," Mitsu echoes. "Of course! I'd briefly looked it over myself yesterday, but I hadn't thought to check for a cataloguing system! You could be right though, Kei."

"What d'you wanna do then? Should we all head down and check it out?" Hikaru asks.

Mitsu shakes her head. "On the off-chance that it turns up nothing, there's no point stretching our resources thin. I'll go myself."

"I'll come with you," I say. She looks ready to argue but I quickly add, "It's either that or I'm stuck twiddling my thumbs back in one of those rooms." She sighs and then nods.

"You're probably right. Come on, the sooner we go, the better."

"Good luck," Ayaka says. "Please let us know as soon as you discover something."

"Will do," I say. "See you guys soon!"

Mitsu's already halfway across the ward by the time I turn...

* * *

The bookcases are closed back over the concealed area leading to the archive, and I find myself really having to concentrate to remember what it was Ino had done to trigger the release mechanism. The cloud around my mind seems to ebb, with no particular meaning or pattern to it. But now I'm aware of it, it's impossible to ignore. It's more of a feeling than anything else – a disconnect from my own mind...

"Kei, are you alright? You've... zoned out."

I open my eyes to see Mitsu looking back over her shoulder at me. Her hand is pressed into the shelf in the dead centre, and as she takes it away again, the bookcases slide apart.

"Was just... trying to remember," I admit. I manage to force a smile. "Guess you didn't need me after all."

She gives me a stern look and for a moment I think she's going to tell me off or something, but then she sighs and shakes her head.

"Come on," she says, turning away from the now open bookshelves.

"Where?" I frown. "The archive is just through there..."

She shakes her head. "No, we can spare a few minutes. Are you coming?"

* * *

She ends up leading me down to the Ground Floor, and down the winding corridor that leads to my Talent Lab. We approach the door and she looks at me, expectantly. Confused, I fumble in my pocket for a second and retrieve my ElectroID, pressing it to the panel at the side of the door. It opens with a click, and Mitsu gestures for me to lead the way.

Still confused, I hold the door for her and she breezes in past me.

"Take a seat," she tells me, nodding at the bar stools at the counter, and – still very much confused – I do as I'm told. I frown at her as she passes by me, not sitting down beside me, but passing that completely and going around behind the bar, where... where I should be, really.

"Mitsu... what's going on?" I ask, slowly. She takes her satchel off of her shoulder and hangs it up on the little hook my apron's kept on.

"Role reversal," she shrugs. "I always feel like coffee shops are very relaxing. I figured the same would probably apply to you."

I rub my chin, thoughtfully, and then slowly nod. "I guess you're not wrong..."

"What would you like?" she asks me. "I can't guarantee anything's gonna be to the standard of the Ultimate Barista, but that's kind of the point, I guess."

"Mitsu, you don't need to be super nice to me because I'm feeling a little sorry for myself. I know we've not got much time til... til something..."

"Til something," she echoes, with a slight edge to her words. I feel like I know what I was going to say but its stuck on the far side of a wall of thought now... I shake my head and let out a long, slow breath.

"Never mind. Can I just have a coffee, please?" I ask.

"Coming right up," she tells me with a faint smile. She looks round at the myriad of machines behind her and puts her hands on her hips for a few long moments. Despite the situation, there's something kind of funny about it, and I fight the urge to chuckle. Finally, she focuses in on one machine in particular and begins to set up.

It's a weird feeling, being on this side of the counter. As I watch her busy herself in finding the appropriate cup and prepping the machine with a fresh filter and stuff, I realise that this must be what other people see when I'm working... It's hardly complicated, but just to see someone else doing it in their own way kind of puts a spin on things I've never really considered before.

Of course, I'm not sure what this really means right now. Is it even significant? I think so, probably... She's doing this for me, because we're friends... right? I think we're friends... Is it too soon to decide that? She's tricky to read, but I feel like she's definitely the sort of person who never does things without purpose.

As if to confirm my thoughts, she brings the coffee over to me on a small saucer. There's a faint scraping noise as it slides over the counter to me, and then she leans over to face me with a strange expression on her face. It's almost like she's wary of me...

For a long, uncomfortable moment, neither of us speak, and – unsure of myself – I reach out for the steaming cup in front of me, but then, in a flash, she reaches out and grabs my wrist. It's not painful, but there's an urgency to it that I can't quite make sense of until she lets go again and sighs deeply.

"I... Sorry," she mumbles, turning away from me. "It doesn't matter."

"N-no," I frown, shaking my head. "Something's wrong. I mean, more than usual. What is it?"

She looks up at me and there's that sadness in her eyes again.

"I was trying to keep things light-hearted," she says, sounding fairly miserable now. "I thought it would help you, but it just..."

She rubs at her temples and groans.

"Mitsu..."

She shakes her head. "No, it's fine, just... give me a minute. Try the coffee."

She falls silent, turning her back to me. For a moment I don't move, but then I lean over and pluck a few sugar sachets from the container behind her. Trying not to make a sound – like I'm afraid it'll inconvenience her – I open two sachets and quickly stir them in, trying not to focus too much on the beautiful scent of the fresh coffee as it fills my head. I know this brand of coffee, I'm sure... I just can't quite place it right now.

God... that's when I know it's getting bad.

Before I can dwell on this too long, Mitsu turns back to face me and lets out another long breath.

"Alright," she says, "I want to tell you something, and you might not even remember it in an hour or so but if this all goes the way it looks to be going, I figure I owe you an answer at least."

"An... answer?" I echo. I have the vaguest memory of asking her a question...

"I want to tell you why I write everything down," she says. She's still breathing strangely, like she's building up to some terrible confession. "You... asked me about it before, remember? It was in here on the very first day."

"So, you seem to be writing pretty much non-stop. Surely you can't have that much to write about?"

"It's important to notice everything. It's... just kind of second nature now. I write down as much as I can as often as I can so there's always something."

"How d'you mean?"

"Um, can we talk about it some other time? I don't really feel like going into it right now, sorry."

Riiiiiiight...

She steadies herself and then nods, like she's built up the courage.

"First of all, Kei, I don't like talking about myself much, you know? I feel like keeping myself to myself tends to work best in my particular field... I've only really broken that self-imposed rule once before, and it didn't end well for me, but with things the way they are, I don't have much to lose now."

I nod, realising just how significant this must be for her, and how certain she must be that... that things aren't going to end well.

"I write everything down, because otherwise it's forgotten," she says, simply. Even just as a prelude to what she really means to say, there seems to be a weight to these words that I can't quite grasp. That's memory loss for you, though, right?

"I'm... I'm the youngest of three," she continues. "Me, then my brother Taji, and then our elder sister, Madori." She's gazing straight into my eyes now, and I shift the cup and saucer to the side, as if it's an obstacle. Mitsu glances at the mug and then her gaze snaps back to meet mine. "I won't... bore you with the details of it all, but the jist of it is... there's an illness that runs in my family – basically a form of dementia. You know what that is, right?"

I nod, realising now exactly what it is she's telling me.

"Memory loss, amongst... other things," she confirms. "And, well, not so long ago... or a few years ago, I guess, depending on your definition, my sister, Madori, began to display the symptoms. Mom and dad knew straight away, of course. It was mom's side of the family, and they'd been together long enough that they both had a pretty big awareness of the complications and... how it always ended up.

"And they'd done their best – they'd had tests done and stuff. This... type of dementia... they thought it could be treated. Modern medicine and all, y'know? Treatments and... all sorts – mostly experimental. But at the end of it they were told there was only a one percent chance that any child they had would carry the gene for the illness and... well, that one percent was enough to pass to Madori.

"I had to watch, basically, as my sister started to forget things. It would be little things at first like, maybe where she'd left a pen, or forgetting a homework assignment, y'know? Stupid things like people forget all the time. But then it would get more and more frequent, and then she'd start forgetting bigger things, like how to get to certain places, or how to use like the basic stuff in our house. And it gradually got worse and worse, and the rest of us were doing our best for her, but it just didn't seem to make a difference.

"And then she started forgetting us. Me first. And... and I felt like a whole piece of my life had just been completely wiped out, like... part of my whole reason for living was just... gone, in an instant. My sister and I, we were always really close, but then... I was just a stranger to her. The doctors tried to explain they thought it was just because I was the youngest, so she'd known me for the least amount of time, but how is that meant to be a satisfying explanation to a high school kid?

"But, um, yeah, she would have her moments where she'd remember too. She'd look at me and I'd know she could remember, but then there'd be other times where she'd look at me and I just... saw an emptiness there, like she was looking right through me. And... it was in those moments where I sort of realised that... that could be me too. I could be looking at people I'd known my entire life one day, and not have a clue who they were. And I saw people doing their best. I knew I'd done my best, but I had to try and think what I could do to prevent myself that same sort of... confusion."

She pauses for a moment, and closes her eyes. Her lashes are wet, and she balls her hand into a fist and drags them over her eyes to wipe at them. I don't even know what to say. If I'm honest, I almost feel guilty for going through this, as if it's my fault...

"So I started writing down everything. I left notes for her. Wrote down everything in a big notebook and left it at the side of her bed, like a note to say good morning and remind her who I was, and for a while it worked. She knew something was... missing, I guess. She could understand that what she was seeing was the truth. But, even then that only worked for so long. Soon enough, she was... forgetting more and more. Like her memory was just breaking apart bit by bit. And not long later... she was gone."

"God," I whisper, stunned. "I... Mitsu, I'm so... I'm so sorry. This must be so... so hard for you!"

She sniffs and gives me that sad smile again. "I'm coping with it, for now. But I know this is different from what happened to her. I know... that Monokuma's... disease doesn't offer us the time that my sister had. It's a luxury we can't really afford, but... I felt like I had to... tell someone, you know? Before the end."

"You don't think we're going to make it," I say, quietly. I gaze down at the counter, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.

"And neither do you," she replies. I feel a horrible churning in my stomach as she says that, like it's... wrong of her to say that to me. I realise that that's because I've been trying to forget that conclusion. Involuntarily, I clench my fists.

"I... I wasn't a bad person," I tell her. "I swear, I... I did my best. I always did my best. I don't... I don't want to die... Not like Arata... or like Cho... I don't want to..."

"I know, Kei," she says, her voice barely a whisper now. "And... I can already feel things going, you know? It's happening to us, piece-by-piece. We didn't ask for this. We don't deserve it."

"We're unravelling," I say, and manage a bitter laugh. "Hey, at least we get to die before cabin fever sets in."

We lapse into silence again for a few long minutes and then she shakes her head. "Come on," she says, "finish your coffee before it gets cold, and we'll get back to the archive. We shouldn't keep the others waiting. The others..." She rubs her temples and sighs, trailing off again for a few long moments, but then... she seems to snap to full attention. "We're being stupid," she says, turning on the spot to take her bag off of the hook behind her. "We're being really, really, really stupid!"

"Mitsu?" I frown.

"We're being stupid," she echoes. "I... I know that this is hurting you, and, obviously it's hurting me too. You... you understand now why I do what I do, right? And I... understand why you... why you feel the way you do right now, but... but we shouldn't be like that. Not just for our sakes, but for the others. Even more so for the others. They still have hope, right? And we can't just throw their hope away!" There's an urgency – a sense of frantic energy – in her words, and something about it seems to resonate with me, suddenly...

"Mitsu..."

She shakes her head, all business now. "Kei, we've had a moment to feel sorry for ourselves, but now isn't the time. It's not going to help us. It's not going to save us. And it's certainly not going to make a difference if we just give up now."

The resonance in my mid gets stronger suddenly, like her just saying those words makes things so much clearer. Her words seem to cut through the haze that's clogging up my mind. That black cloud sat inside my brain, consuming every thought suddenly seems to lose its grip and for a second I feel like everything's sliding into clearer focus. I slap the side of my face like I'm trying to wake myself up and hop off of the stool.

"Mitsu, I... I don't want things to end like how we thought," I say. "I... I'm not sure what thoughts are mine and what ones are the disease, but I'm not giving up. Not yet. I'm not wallowing. I'm not feeling sorry for myself now. We have some time left, and we need to do our best." I look at her for confirmation. "Right?"

"Exactly," she nods, folding her arms. "I'm a journalist, and it's my duty to see a story through to the end."

"I don't really have a cool tagline like that I can use," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly, "but I refuse to give up. Not til we find a solution to this problem. Not til everyone is cured. And not til we beat Monokuma's game and get out of us this place, once and for all..."

She gives me a determined nod and walks around from the other side of the bar.

"Come on," she says, "we've got work to do."

* * *

As we walk back to the Library, I reflect on the time Mitsu and I have spent together. What she did came from a place of kindness, but also surely, from a place of trust. She trusted me enough to tell me about her sister, and her fears that she would end up the same. But there's that worrying feeling, in the deep, dark recesses of my mind that are just poring over every detail. Had she only trusted me with it because it was inevitable I was the last person who would ever know? Had she only bothered telling me because Monokuma's Syndrome was affecting her? I... I'd like to think she only told me because she saw me as a friend.

It's a lot to consider, and I'll have to do my best to keep hold of those thoughts. I'm trying to picture a safe where I can keep my thoughts locked away, safe from the disease. My mom, home, my friends, my... new friends. Arata. And that girl... The girl who killed him... She was a fighter or something, I think... Cho. Of course...

By the time I'm finished this little mental exercise, we're back at the Library, and it doesn't take Mitsu long to navigate back through the maze of shelves and over to the opening that leads to the archive. The bookshelves have closed over again, but she makes short work of opening it, and we make our way through to the archive without another delay.

I had a vague memory of looking at the laptops here before, there was a girl tapping away at the keyboard, with not much success I'm pretty sure.

Mitsu's doing something different though. She's managed to find an icon of a book in amongst some subfolders inside folders on the desktop, and her fingers are hammering off the keypad as she types in reference numbers or titles she's copied down in one of her notebooks. She had more when she arrived, she had told me, lots more... It must feel like part of her life has been stolen to have had them taken from her.

God, we're just kids – what did we do to deserve all this?

I sit down at the laptop beside her and quickly navigate my way through the folders to the same book icon, opening up the cataloguing system. It's a fairly basic program, by the looks of it, but I'm just glad we've actually found something that could help.

"What ones have you done so far?" I ask her, pointing at the notebook. She adjusts it so its sitting directly between the two of us and points to the third one on the list.

"There's ten on here, so if you want to do the sixth to the ninth ones, I can clear the rest on this page," she says.

"Sure," I nod, waggling my fingers a little as I prepare to start typing. "Here goes..."

* * *

The computer does seem to speed things up a little. Between the lot of us, so far, we've cleared out a fair portion of the relevant books and journals in the medical section. Unfortunately though, Mitsu's overworked herself, and I look up just in time to see her head loll forwards, only just managing to catch her by the shoulders before her head hits off the keyboard in front of her.

Unsure of what to do, I make sure she's sat back so she can't fall, placing my hoodie behind her head like a pillow, and I wait for her to wake up again.

The minutes crawl in, and I'm not sure what to do. I can't remember how long we were out for when we passed out. It couldn't have been long, right? Frustrated, I chew down on my thumbnail, trying to figure out whether I should go get someone from upstairs, or whether I'd be better staying with her til she wakes up.

I get my answer a few moments later though, as she finally starts to stir.

"What... happened to me?" She rubs her head and blinks a few times, wincing as the light from the laptop screens hits her.

"Passed out again," I tell her. She looks at me and seems confused. "Take a couple minutes to make sure you're alright."

"This is yours, right?" she says, taking my hoodie from behind her head and holding it out for me. I nod and take it back off her, fighting my arms into the sleeves to get it back on.

"You okay?" I ask her. She shakes her head and frowns at me.

"I'm sorry," she says, "but have we met already?"

A shudder runs up my back at this, and I stare at her, aghast.

"Y-you don't know me?"

"I don't think so," she frowns. "Sorry, should I?"

"Mitsu, it's me. It's Kei. Kei Kamiya."

"I don't think I know anyone with that name, sorry," she shrugs. "I think I'd like to go now."

"G-go where?"

She stares at me, blankly. "I don't really think I need to tell you that."

Her chair scrapes off the floor as she gets to her feet, and barely taking any time to glance back at me, she disappears through the door leading back into the main Library, out of sight. I'm too stunned to move. That was all so sudden...

How could she have completely forgotten me so quickly? There wasn't even a hint of recognition in her face, in her eyes – anything at all. Shit...

The only consolation is that for now, she doesn't understand that she's forgot...

Somethinng gets my attention from the corner of my eye, and I realise it's Mitsu's notebook, still on the tabletop where she had left it. Are things worse than I thought for her if she's left this behind? I scoop it up and slide it into the pocket of my hoodie with my ElectroID, deciding it's probably best I catch up with her.

Unfortunately, much like everything else in this castle, that plan falls apart nearly instantly.

"Hey, hey, where you off to in such a rush, Barista Boy?"

Monokuma's stood in the doorway, paws on... his waist, I guess it is? There's something about his body language and the way he spoke that immediately has me concerned.

"You're in a good mood," I say. "Tell me nobody's been murdered."

"Not yet, kid!" he replies. "Can't be long now though, right? Time's running out."

"It's not gonna happen," I tell him. "We've seen what happens and... we're not letting that happen again."

"Look, I get it," he sighs, suddenly, his demeanour changing completely. "I get that you're a goody two shoes. All 'team work makes the dream work', and 'we can do anything if we stick together', and whatever, but... really, kid? Be realistic."

"I am being realistic," I reply. "I know I'm not a killer and I know that none of the others are either."

"Well, I hate to be the bear...er of bad news," he says, taking a moment to chuckle at his own pun, "but just because you know something, doesn't mean the rest of 'em know the same, y'know? Hell, a few of 'em can't even remember half of you."

"Mitsu didn't recognise me..."

"I know, sad, huh? Especially after she had the courage to confide in you a part of her tragic backstory!"

"Y-you heard all that?!" How could he have...

"You forgot about the surveillance cameras, didn't you?" cackles Monokuma. "Oh, dear, Kei, you're starting to get clumsy! But don't worry, you're not the only one. You better get back upstairs, don't ya think?"

I step around him and then start running. Part of me is pretty certain he's just trying to screw with me, but on the other hand...

* * *

I can already hear shouting from the ward as I return to the Medical Wing, and in my haste, I skid around the corner, scrabbling at the wall to steady myself. I pass through the double doors onto the wing to find...

"He's the mastermind!" Kaori is screaming, pointing at Miniro. "It has to be him! He just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Kaori, I don't think-" Ayaka begins, holding her hands up to try and placate her. Kaori doesn't seem to register it though, and she keeps shouting.

"Guys, why are you all looking at me like that? Can't you see him? Tell me you can see him!"

Her gaze falls on me, and she runs over to grab at my hand, looking at me with large, pleading eyes.

"Kei, you know I'm telling the truth, right? You know that guy wasn't here before, right?"

"Kaori..." I say, quietly, "that's Miniro. He's been here with us all along..."

For a moment, the world freezes. She still has that strong grip around my hand, but now the expression on her face is... hurt. Betrayal. She goes to speak but the words catch in her throat and it takes her a second before she attempts it again.

"So... you think I'm lying too, huh?"

"I don't think you're lying," I reply. "It's the disease, though, it's confusing us all."

"So you think I'm just stupid?!" She looks down to realise she's still clutching at my hand and she drops it like it's venomous.

"No, I didn't say that!" I say, but her mind's already set.

"Whatever," she sighs. "Don't blame me when someone turns up dead though."

And with those last terrifying words hanging in the air, she storms past me and out of the wing. The others look over at me and I don't know what to say or do. For what feels like a short eternity, nobody says a word. Finally, I break the silence.

"It's getting worse," I sigh. "Kaori isn't the only one who can't remember people. Mitsu... passed out downstairs, and when she came round again she'd completely forgot who I was."

"This is bad..." Yamato sighs. "Kaori passed out too, and she came round again like a couple minutes ago. Miniro was the first person she saw, and she started flaking out at him." He turns to look at the sailor. "You okay, big guy?"

Miniro looks to be anything but okay, but he manages to give Yamato a nod. "I... I'm okay," he says. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere else but here right now, and I can't blame him.

As I'm thinking this, Hikaru appears at my shoulder to murmur in my ear, "Do you think we should get him out of here for now?"

"Probably," I nod. "We should find Kaori too."

"I'll do that if you want to check on Miniro. I'll keep an eye out for Mitsu too while I'm out."

I manage a weak smile. "Thank you. You're doing a lot to help even after being burdened with our mess."

"Yeah, by Monokuma, not by you," he points out and then smiles. "Quit being so responsible, Kei. See you in a bit, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," I nod, and he disappears through the doors at the end of the ward. I approach Miniro, who's still sat at one of the tables at the far end of the room.

"Hey, Miniro," I say, "let's go get some fresh air, okay? You look like you could do with it."

"I... yes, you're probably right," he nods. "Thank you, Kei."

"Oh, before we go, I just need to have a word with Ayaka, 'kay?"

"Sure," he says, getting up out of his chair. "I'll wait for you by the doors."

He makes his way over, and I turn round to go speak to Ayaka and fill her in on what happened in the archive. She's fighting with a pile of medical textbooks as I approach, and I steady the few that threaten to fall as she retrieves the one she's looking for somewhere in the middle of the tower.

"Thank you," she says. "Is everything okay? I heard you say about Mitsu. I am a little concerned she has not come straight back here."

"Yeah," I grimace. "I don't really know what to make of it. We had... a conversation about some stuff before. But then she passed out and now she can't remember me. She didn't even take her notebook with her from the archive."

"Hm, that is worrying," Ayaka says, rubbing at her eyes. "I wish there was more we could do. It already feels like our plan to stick together is falling apart."

"Yeah... about that," I trail off. She nods to indicate I should continue. "Well, Hikaru's went off to find Kaori and Mitsu, and I said I'd go get some fresh air with Miniro just to make sure he's okay."

"It cannot be helped," she sighs. "I am glad we are all doing our best to look out for each other. Though that reminds me, I should go check on the others in the private rooms."

She places the textbook down on the table in front of her. "See you when you are both back."

"And hopefully the others will be back too," I nod. "Oh, and before I forget, we didn't get too far into using the cataloguing system, but I can take a check at it on the way back up and see if I can narrow down those results."

"That would be much appreciated," she nods. "Thank you, Kei."

* * *

So I ended up spending time with Miniro out in the Grounds. It really feels like we got closer today!

At first, we're just of wandering aimlessly, watching as that orange glow of the setting sun blurs with the pale purple of twilight. The skies are strangely clear, and I can already make out the first few clusters of starts as they begin to pierce through the velvet sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Miniro asks. I look at him to see he's gazing up into the sky too, his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah," I nod. We've ended up out on the Viaduct, and despite the cold stone of the wall, I prop myself up to sit up on it and gaze upwards. "You must see pretty amazing stuff like this all the time at sea, right?"

"Sometimes," he says. "I'm very... grateful for all the things I've had the opportunity to see and do over the course of my life. I mean, it's early days, you know?"

"Of course," I nod. I remember what Mitsu had been saying before about having hope. About the others having hope. I told her I wouldn't give up...

"Things will get better, Kei," he says, as if he's read my thoughts. "What's that saying again? 'It's always darkest before the dawn'?"

"That's the one," I reply. "I like that one. Way better than 'no news is good news'." It's only a moment after I've said it that I realise just how bitterly I've spoken.

"Ah..." He pauses. "You're worried about her."

"I am," I agree. "I'm worried about everything. But to see the way she looked at me..."

"The way Kaori looked at me..." Miniro sighs.

"Like we were strangers," I finish.

"It's just temporary, Kei," he says. "That's what we need to remember."

I look at him again in the half-light, at the way the light plays across his face. Despite how tough he looks, with his square jaw and his scars, you can really see a softness to him. There's that look of wonder in his bright eyes as he looks up at the sky, and the way his smile seems so carefree, even after all the burdens we're facing that makes me want to believe him. For a second, I wonder if this is how Daisuke always feels when he looks at him... I find myself smiling a little at the thought. Must be nice to feel like that all the time.

"Well, you're smiling now," he says, glancing at me. "That's a nice step up."

"I was meant to be cheering you up," I point out.

"Well, I'm cheered up," he shrugs. "Good job, Kei."

"Don't tease me," I laugh. "Okay, well if that's my job done we can head back soon."

"Yeah, we should go back," he nods. "I'd like to check on Daisuke and the others anyway."

I smile. "You two seem to be pretty close."

Miniro manages a shrug. "I... think so," he says. "I've never been very good at maintaing friendships. Travelling a lot can make it difficult to keep up with people, and even when I try to keep in contact, sometimes people don't want to do the same. Or it starts off fine and then deteriorates over time. I've... never really had many friends because of that, even when I was a kid."

"Well, if there's one good thing to come of this nightmare of a place," I say, "we got to make friends. With the others, and with each other."

"Yeah, you're right," Miniro smiles. "I'm glad we got the chance to talk, Kei. You seem like a really reliable person."

"Pity my memory isn't as reliable today," I reply, and he looks at me with a sympathetic smile. I shake my head. "No, don't worry about it. I had my freak out earlier. I felt sorry for myself already. I'm just gonna go with it and do my best til I can't do any more."

"That's pretty brave," Miniro nods. "You have a sailor's spirit, Kei."

I chuckle at that and then hop down off of the wall. "C'mon, let's head back. Though now you say that, I think I'd really suit a sailor hat..."

With a booming laugh, Miniro leads the way back towards the Central Courtyard, and I fall into step alongside him. Soon enough we're back inside the Castle, and I part ways with him to go check out the archive.

* * *

The bookcases are still open when I get round to them, and I notice the archive door's been shut over. I was sure I'd left it open in my rush to get away from Monokuma. I guess he must have closed it after me...

But no, when I open the door and check inside, I see someone else inside: Mitsu.

She's hunched over the laptop, tapping away furiously at the keyboard. I can't quite make out the screen, but it doesn't look like she's using the catalogue system now. The door squeaks a little as I open it wider to come into the room, and she looks up, snapping the laptop lid shut as if I'd just caught her doing something.

"Oh, you again, hm?" she sighs. "Did you need something?"

"I wasn't expecting to find you here," I admit. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," she frowns. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Monokuma's Syndrome, Mitsu," I tell her. "Have you forgot that too?"

"Oh, you're the boy with the memory problem!" she says, nodding. "Yeah, the bear told me about you. Your friend was killed, wasn't he? I'm sorry."

"W-wait, you don't even remember that?"

"Remember what?" she sighs. "I only got here an hour ago."

"Mitsu, you mean you seriously can't remember?!" I cry. "We've been here for days! A week even! Maybe longer!"

She shakes her head. "I don't think that can be right, sorry... I'm here investigating something. I'm a journ-"

"The Ultimate Journalist, Mitsu, I know," I insist. She seems alarmed by this and I notice the way she tenses herself up. I stay where I am, not wanting to upset her. "Your name is Mitsu Kamori. You have a brother Taji, and a sister Madori. You were invited to attend school at the Secondary Branch of Hope's Peak Academy. And..."

"How do you... you can't know that..."

"Mitsu, we've been here for a while now," I say, sadly. "And... I have proof."

"Proof?"

I reach into my pocket and take out her notebook, holding it out for her to see clearly.

"But that's... one of mine..."

"You left it here earlier. You've been using this one the past few days."

"Give it to me."

She steps forward and snatches it out of my hand before retreating back to the table again. I stay where I am in the doorway, and watch as she gingerly opens the notebook. Her eyes dart across the pages rapidly, and she flips through them at breakneck speed. Neither of us talk for those few short moments, but finally, she finishes reading and snaps the book shut again.

"You're telling the truth," she says, though she sounds like she'd give anything for it to be otherwise. "And you knew about my brother and sister."

"You told me about them earlier today," I reply. "I'm... having problems with remembering things. Not quite to the point you are, but..."

"Monokuma's Syndrome," she nods. "I know. I saw my notes on it. It seems my memory's reset."

"But you know who I am, right?"

"Only from what I've written in here," she says with a shrug. "I seem to trust you. Or I did at least. Even though I knew you were forgetting things."

"Do you trust me now?" I ask her. She inspects me with a pretty intense gaze for a few long moments.

"Did you read any of this?" she asks, holding the notebook up again. I shake my head.

"Only the page you showed me with all the medical books titles," I reply.

"Alright," she says, finally. "I'm not sure if I can trust you right now, but I know I did before... I'm not sure quite how to feel about that yet."

"Should I go get one of the others? Ayaka, maybe?" I ask.

"Oh, the others..." She grimaces. "I... don't remember any of them either."

"Wh-what? Like, at all?"

"I told you, it seems to have completely reset to the start. Nice way to let me know we're all dying, by the way."

"What d'you mean?"

"Letting me read it in my own handwriting," she says. "It's probably more efficient than having me argue with you about whether you were telling me the truth or not."

"We don't know if we're definitely going to die," I point out. "You wanted to stay strong and do your best for the others."

"Did I?" she says, frowning. "I... wish I remembered this."

"I wish you remembered too," I admit. "I... don't really know what to make of all this."

"What condition is your memory in?" she asks.

"It's... not too bad yet," I say. "Names and smaller details for now... But if you and Kaori are anything to go by, I'm one KO away from forgetting the bigger things."

"Am I the worst case so far?" she asks.

"It's... difficult to explain," I sigh. "Yuki, Kimi, and Daisuke have all been unconscious for hours now, and we're not sure whether or not they're gonna regain consciousness before our time... runs out."

Mitsu flips her notebook back open and scans a page. "Two to three days. This is the end of the second night, yes?"

I nod. "Hours left. Hikaru reminded me earlier."

"And Hikaru is the one -" she flips through a few pages, "- who arrived the other day, after you were made to roll the lottery wheel after the Trial."

"That's right," I nod.

"Okay," she says, snapping the book shut again. "So you came to use the catalogue system on the laptops, right?"

I nod. "That's what me and you were working on before you... y'know... forgot."

"Right," she sighs. "Um, do you mind if I work on it myself for a while, and maybe come back in an hour or so?"

I'm uncertain of what to do now. The others were unsure of me even helping with the research because of my memory, so now that she's had her entire time here wiped what should I do?

I decide to take a chance.

"Sure," I say. "But if you need me in the meantime, I'll probably be up in the Medical Wing on the Third Floor."

"Alright," she nods, settling back down in front of the closed over laptop. "See you later."

I close the archive door behind me and then step to the side of it, sliding down the wall as I let out a long, deep sigh.

"This is a nightmare," I announce to the deserted Library.

* * *

 **15 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	13. Chapter 02: Despairborne (VII)

Two hours until Monokuma's Night-Time Announcement... Which means its four hours to midnight. Which means realistically we could all be dead in four hours...

After leaving Mitsu in the archive, I'd return to the Medical Wing where I'd told Ayaka about Mitsu's total memory loss, and that I was to go check on her in an hour. She had told me that while I was away, Hikaru and Kaori had returned. Unfortunately, Kaori's memory was getting worse and worse, and she'd ended up blacking out again. She was unconscious in one of the private rooms now.

A few of the others have disappeared too, either off to get fresh air, or food, or just to distract themselves from our situation, so now it's only me, Miniro, Ayaka, Hikaru, and Masashi in the main ward.

We've accepted it's pretty much an all hands on deck situation, and seeing as I haven't lost consciousness again yet, I'm just gonna have to do my best. Easier said than done though, of course.

"I wish the others would all come back," Hikaru sighs. "It feels like they've been away for ages."

"I know Mitsu's still in the archive," I say. "Not sure about the others though."

"Hm, Kei, should you not be heading back down to speak to her soon anyway?" Ayaka asks, glancing up from the notes she's been scribbling down. I check the time on my ElectroID and nod.

"Yeah, you're right," I sigh. "I feel like I'm just going in circles..."

I rise from my chair, place my book down on the table in front of me, and wave goodbye to the others, but before I can go much further, the doors swing open and Mitsu, Blessing, and Ino walk in together.

"Oh, there you all are!" Hikaru smiles. "I don't suppose you've seen the others?"

"The boys?" Blessing asks. She pauses for a moment and then nods her head. "Yes, I saw Yamato and Fumio heading downstairs. And I believe Haru went to the Dormitories."

"Looks like they're giving up, huh?" Ino says. "Smartest idea any of 'em have had in days."

I ignore her. "How are you feeling, Mitsu?"

She turns to look at me and for a second its like she recognises me properly again, but then her gaze seems to go blank again and she sighs a little. "Same as before, sorry to say. I know it must be annoying."

"Not at all," Blessing gasps. "Don't think that it's your fault for a moment, Mitsu! It can't be helped!"

"Do you mind leaving us all this chit-chat for some time after we've survived this?" Masashi snaps. "The last thing I need right now after everyone disappearing is a conference in the middle of the room."

"He was hallucinating again earlier," Ayaka murmurs to me. "He has been in a particularly foul mood ever since. Fortunately, not as hysterical as before."

"I don't think I've had any hallucinations for a while," I frown. "Do you think that's only the stage before the memory loss?"

"I think it could be more random than that," Ayaka says. "I have been trying to track the progress between most of us, but my notes do not have any real pattern to them. Though some of us are experiencing the different effects in the same order, it is not the same for everyone."

"Like the ones who have passed out and haven't woke up yet, right?" I sigh.

"Exactly," she nods. "I... cannot say for sure whether or not any of them will recover before... the disease reaches an end."

"And we're no closer to a cure," I sigh.

"Oh, that's what I came up to tell you," Mitsu nods. "I'm... afraid the cataloguing system wasn't much help. It only referenced up a few more books from different sections that only briefly cover some aspects of medicine – none that were relevant though."

"Well, that was a perfect waste of time," Masashi says. "Anyone got any wild geese to be chasing while we're at it?"

"Not helping," I groan.

"Either did anything you've all been doing, apparently," he retorts. "You know what? Never mind. I don't have the time or energy to waste on arguing with you all. I'm going to use one of the empty private rooms to keep working."

He heaves at a large pile of books and grabs his coat off of the back of his chair, storming past us without another word.

"And that's Masashi then, right?" Mitsu nods. "Yes, I've got a few choice words on him, apparently. Most of them not worth repeating out loud."

I manage a chuckle at this, but looking at Masashi as he retreats through the doors and rounds the corner off towards a vacant room, I get an uncomfortable twinge of anxiety in my stomach. Y'know, more tangible than the background anxiety of trying not to think about dying.

"Kei, are you alright?" Hikaru asks.

"Got a bad feeling," I sigh. "I'm gonna go get a drink. Anyone want anything?"

The others all shake their heads and I decide to head off, taking my time on the way down to the Kitchen to consider everything that's happened over the past few days.

Yuki, Kimi, Daisuke, and Kaori are all unconscious. Yuki since this morning; Kimi and Daisuke this afternoon; and Kaori just this evening. Fumio, Yamato, and Haru are all unaccounted for; Masashi's stormed off; Mitsu can't remember any of us properly; and by the sounds of it Ino's already given up.

I think my head's gonna explode...

I glance at the time: one hour til the Night-time announcement.

Sigh.

* * *

I can barely face the coffee machine right now, and I settle for a can of cola, fresh from the fridge. I kind of meant to take my time with it but I end up drinking it down in one go, wincing as the brainfreeze kicks in near instantly.

"Ooh, nasty, man!"

I squint through one eye to see Yamato leaning against one of the counters, with a can of soda in his hand. He smiles and pops the can open, taking a loud slurp from it.

"Where'd you disappear to?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I wanted to check on the snakes," he says, "but then I got really dizzy and passed out. Woke up in the Greenhouse."

I grimace. "How's... your memory doing?"

"Not a clue," he shrugs. "I mean, I remember you, obviously. And the whole 'all gonna die' thing. That's bugging me – can't lie."

Slowly, I nod. "We're... really running out of time. It's less than an hour til the Night-time announcement."

"Never liked deadlines," Yamato grimaces. "Especially when they're literal. Um, could I ask you a favour before we head back?"

"Oh, uh, if I can help, yeah," I nod.

"Come up to my Lab with me, will you? I could do with the company, I think."

My stomach lurches a little at the thought of a room full of snakes, but I'd feel bad if I refused.

"Y-yeah, sure," I say, trying to force a smile. I don't think it quite reaches my lips.

* * *

I spent some time with Yamato in his Lab. Despite my discomfort, it felt like we got a little closer.

After following a cobblestone path into the Greenhouses, Yamato had lead me down to the far end, past the rows of enormous glass buildings, overflowing with vines and colourful flowers. I bet Daisuke could name all of them off the top of his head. At the far end was a small stone staircase that lead up to a rustic looking wood and iron door with a card reader beside it. Yamato had swiped his ElectroID and the door had swung open, soundlessly.

After that, we'd walked into what looked like a Greek pantheon. Enormous pillars held up a square of ceiling, with a large glass pane in the middle showing a glimpse of overcast black clouds in the sky above.

Enormous glass tanks – at least a hundred of them – lined the room, all full of snakes of every size and colour. I did my best to stick to the centre of the room, taking refuge on a large, leather couch that had been placed there, in between the tanks, counters, and shelves containing all sorts of herpetological things – books and small hooks, and concerningly, a cabinet full of snake venom. Yamato had briefly went over the things in the shelves, then one-by-one, listed all the individual snakes to me. By the time he'd finished, I was fighting a yawn, and when he threw himself down on the couch beside me, I had to struggle to keep myself propped upright.

"This is a disaster, isn't it?" Yamato sighs. "I'm just wasting your time, right?"

"Well, this whole experience's been a bit of a disaster, yeah," I admit. "You're not wasting my time though – don't worry!"

"Glad to hear it, man," he says. "We're... low on time, I guess, but a little more time just... doing nothing is... what I need just for a little while."

"I know what you mean," I agree. "But we shouldn't take too long, okay? We still stand a chance, right?"

"If you say so," he sighs, leaning back in the chair and gazing up at the sky through the glass pane in the ceiling. "I've never been a big optimist, y'know?"

"And you're not feeling too optimistic now either, I guess?"

He shakes his head.

"I'd love to be, man, but life's never been that easy, y'know? Why should dying be easy either?"

I consider this for a few moments, unsure of how to reply. He notices my silence and manages a chuckle.

"Sorry, I'm being morbid," he says. "Not the time for being morbid."

"Don't worry about it," I tell him. "It's difficult to stay upbeat. Especially when all I want to do is just... sleep."

"I feel you," he agrees. He reaches into his pocket and his hand emerges with Orochi back to its usual business of twirling around his fingers.

"What got you interested in snakes in the first place then?" I ask.

He looks at me, confused for a second, and then smiles. "Oh, right, you mean like was there ever a time where I wasn't interested in snakes?" He pauses to consider this and then shakes his head. "Nah, never."

"So you've always liked snakes?"

He nods. "Ever since I was a little kid. My mom and dad run a habitat preservation project, and they'd been working on that since before I was born, so I grew up with getting taken to see all these weird and wonderful animals all the time, but it was always the snakes that really stuck out to me. Is that weird?"

I shake my head. "I mean, my worldview's kinda restricted to small talk and coffee brands so I don't know if I'm allowed to cast those kinda judgments."

We both laugh for a few seconds and then he continues talking.

"They're really misunderstood creatures, I think," he says. "Like people think they're slimy and evil and stuff. You've probably heard that before, right?"

I nod, refusing to open my mouth on the off-chance I end up incriminating myself for having the exact same thoughts before...

"But they're actually quite sweet! And they're not slimy at all. They're almost all only ever aggressive when threatened, like pretty much every other animal! And they're actually pretty funny, like they're just as loving as puppies, y'know?!"

I would never have expected this level of enthusiasm to come from Yamato. He always seem so cool and level that to see him this excitable about something is really nice! He catches my smile and grimaces.

"You think I'm super weird," he says. I shake my head, laughing.

"No, no, honest, it's just really cool to hear you talking about something you're interested in," I tell him. "Don't take any offence!"

He inspects me with those sharp eyes of his for a second, but then his gaze softens and he smirks at me, lightly jabbing my shoulder.

"Don't get me so wound up! I was freaking out that you thought I was a creep!"

"I'll tell you you're a creep next time," I joke, and he laughs again.

"Okay, wise-ass, that's enough out of you." He lets out a long sigh and his expression seems to slide. "I don't want to go back..."

"I know," I admit. "But the others might be wondering where we are..."

"Kei... it's... it's gonna be okay, right?"

It's hard to believe Yamato's showing so much vulnerability at this moment, but I realise just how scared he must be... As scared as me, really...

"I hope so," I reply, gazing back up at the sky through the pane above. "I really do."

We sit in silence for a few long moments, and then Yamato gets up off the couch.

"Let's go back, Kei," he says.

I stand up and cross over to the door, passing by him as he turns back to gaze at his Talent Lab with a grim expression. No matter how much we laugh and joke, it doesn't take away from the horrible reality that we might not make it back to our Labs, or anywhere else for that matter, after tonight...

I was glad for the short time I'd got to spend with Yamato though, and I find myself mulling over it as we head back towards the Castle. I wish we'd had more time together. I wish we all had. Who knows? Maybe a miracle's gonna happen and we'll all be fine!

I'd really, really like that...

* * *

On the way back, I decide to make myself usual and grab the coffee pot from the Kitchen, and a trayful of mugs. There's no point going to the effort of running up and down for refills, so bringing things up to the Medical Wing will do instead. Time's against us, I know, but really it's more for my nerves than anything. A distraction based on impulse, I guess you could say.

When we get back, I set up the table on a small table just outside the Ward, and place the mugs up beside it. There's a socket right beside it so I don't need to worry about the cord trailing. We walk through the open doorway to the Ward, where we're met with a grim reception. Mitsu, Hikaru, and Blessing were the only ones still sitting in the Ward, and when we arrive, the three of them look up at us with tired, grave expressions.

"Thank goodness you're back," Blessing says with a sigh of relief. "We were getting worried."

"Sorry to worry you guys," I apologise. "Where's the others?"

"Ayaka and Miniro had went round to check on the others in the private rooms," Hikaru says, "but then we heard Ayaka cry out and when we went to see what happened, it turned out Miniro had passed out. He was too heavy to move properly but we just about managed to get him swung up onto a bed. He's in the same room as Kaori now. I think Ayaka's checking on them."

"We're really runniing out of time," groans Yamato. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

"I don't really know at this point," I admit, grimly. "I'm... god, I don't even know right now."

I throw myself into one of the deserted chairs and put my head in my hands.

"What do we do?" Hikaru asks, quietly.

"We keep going," Mitsu says. "Until the end. I'm not letting this stop me."

It's only when I look up that I see she's visibly fighting to keep her focus on us. Beads of sweat have formed across her face now, and her hair is sticking to her clammy forehead. But she doesn't loosen the tight grip she has on the book in her hand, and she doesn't look away as the four of us look back at her with a mix of concern and admiration.

"No time to hang about," she says. "We need to keep going."

We go to move away, unable to argue with that, but then...

"I... I can't."

I look over to my side and my heart sinks. Yamato's turned his gaze to the stone floor now – his long green bangs falling round his face and making it impossible to see his eyes. There was a catch in his voice when he had spoken, and I see now that his shoulders are shaking a little. Is he... crying?

"Yamato..." I murmur.

He shakes his head a little. "I can't. I'm sorry, Kei. I'm... sorry, you guys. I just... I just can't do this anymore. I'm so tired."

"But... Yamato, we were gonna keep on!" I say. "We're running out of time. This is... this is all we have left."

"I'm... I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go... find a room and... and wait," he says. He doesn't lift his head once, unable to make eye contact with any of us. "It was... nice to know you all." He pauses in the doorway, still unable to look back at us. "Goodnight..."

"Goodnight, Yamato," I say, miserably. I can feel the tears stinging at my eyes again, and I wipe them on my sleeve before they start properly. My eyes are fogging over enough as it is...

As soon as the door swings shut behind him, there's a buzz of static and the intercom starts to play as the monitor in the corner of the room flickers to life with its characteristic burble.

Ding dong, ding doooong!

It isn't the usual pre-recorded Night-time announcement, I notice straight away. The background is different, and Monokuma appears to be trembling with excitement.

"If I could have your attention, please! The time is now 10pm, and Night-time is now in effect. The Kitchens are now off limits and the doors will be closed momentarily. And now that boring stuff's out the way, I'd just like to say it's been an absolute pleasure to be your Headmaster over these trying days together. Though... I am disappointed no-one has had the initiave to continue the killing game, y'know?

"Ah, well... c'est la vie, c'est la vie! Or c'est la mort... I dunno – I digress. Anyways, so long, suckers! Sweet dreaaaaams..."

The monitor switches itself off again, and the room seems to dim down again, now lit only by waxy orange candlelight.

"Two hours til midnight..." Hikaru says, quietly.

"We... don't have very long left," Blessing replies. "It can't end like this, surely?"

"That's still to be determined," Mitsu says, slumping into a seat. "Even if we're... all that's left for now... we need to keep... keep... going..."

For a moment, her eyes seem to be threatening to roll back, but she slams her fist down on the table in front of her and with a groan of pain she seems to keep herself conscious.

"Mitsu, you're exhausted," Blessing says. "Please don't strain yourself."

"Strain myself?" Mitsu echoes, laughing bitterly. "I'll be dead soon enough if I don't."

None of us have any reply to this now, and instead, we settle back down to fight through the sea of books that cover almost every surface of the Ward now.

"We can... do this..."

Her voice seemed so weak then. It was like it was a different person saying those words. The determination was there, as there always was in Mitsu's words, but even then, I could hear the strain she was fighting against.

"We can do this..." Hikaru whispers, crouched on the floor, several open books strewn in front of him.

"We can do this," Blessing murmurs from a desk at the opposite side of the room, half-buried under piles of papers and journals.

"We can do this," I repeat under my breath. "We can do this..."

And that was our mantra for that next short hour. Even if we weren't speaking it aloud, we kept that thought burning bright in our minds as we struggled on. I came close to slipping out of consciousness a couple of times but... it was like that thought willed me on – kept me going... I could do this. I could survive... We all could... We could do this...

Couldn't we?

* * *

The door swings open a little after 11pm, and numbed and on the brink of exhaustion, we turn to see who's there. It's Fumio and Haru, both looking probably exactly the same as we do.

"Wh-who are these guys?" Fumio asks Haru, panic creeping into his voice. Haru grimaces.

"It's worse than I thought then," he says. "Not that it'll matter for much longer though..."

"What do you mean?!" Fumio squeaks. "I... I don't understand! Where am I?!"

"Don't get hysterical," Haru tells him, coolly. "I think we best put you in one of the private rooms for now, yeah?"

Fumio looks at us with big, confused eyes, and then back at Haru, then back at Hikaru for a moment.

"Didn't you... die?" he asks, still sounding fairly hysterical.

Hikaru's tired eyes manage to widen slightly, taken aback at this, and he shakes his head. "N-no!"

Fumio's face seems to twitch, and he rubs at his eyes with his hands balled into fists. He sniffs, like he's fighting back tears, and then he turns to Haru.

"I... think I better go to one of those rooms."

"Sure," he nods. "Kei, can you give me a hand?"

I nod, and shakily get to my feet. For a few seconds I'm afraid I'll fall flat on my face, but I manage to put one foot in front of the other, and soon enough, I'm over at the doorway with Haru and Fumio.

"It's worse than Mitsu's memory loss," Haru whispers to me as we guide Fumio along the corridor. "He can't remember anything at all about this place or the killing game. I found him wandering about in a daze at the bottom of the Staircase."

"This is... getting really... bad." Every word's a struggle now, and I find myself holding onto the wall as we make our way along.

"I noticed there's only the four of you in there," Haru says. "Are the others all passed out already?"

"I think... so," I pant. "I'm not sure about... Ino, Masashi... Yamato and... Ayaka though."

"Then maybe we should check on them," he says as we approach the end of the hall. "This room should be free."

He swings the door open for Fumio and leads him in while I stand outside. Fumio looks back at me with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Jeez, this is tough...

"My... name's Kei," I tell him, forcing a smile. "Don't worry... about it, okay, Fumio? Everything'll... be fine."

"Y-yeah... I'm sure you're right," he says, managing a small smile despite his tears. "I... um... I think I might just go lie down."

I feel like I'm abandoning him. I feel like I'm abandoning everyone...

"Goodnight, Fumio."

"Goodnight, you two... Thank you again."

Haru gently closes the door behind him and as soon as its clicked shut he lurches across the hall and punches at the wall opposite, letting out a low growl of frustration.

"This is too fucking much," he hisses. Stony-faced, he inspects his grazed knuckles and then slides his hand back into his coat pocket. He glances up at me. "Sorry... didn't meant to lose my temper."

"Don't... apologise," I say. "Can... you help me check on the others?"

"I shouldn't have asked you to help," he says, inspecting me. "You're in a pretty bad way, but I figured if something went wrong you were the best voice of reason to have on side. I guess I overthought that..."

"It's fine... Let's just... check the others before we go back."

Haru holds out his arm to me.

"Here, I'll support you a little," he says. "Do we know which rooms are being used?"

I shake my head. "I think... Kaori and Miniro are in the... room closest to the ward, but... besides that... I don't know."

As I close my eyes in a slow, painful blink, there's a strange pulsating darkness that fills my mind. I'm certain it only lasts for a second...

* * *

It only lasts for a second...

But next thing I know I'm in a different room, with Ayaka inspecting me and Haru shaking my shoulders.

"Sorry... must have... dozed off," I mumble.

"Kei, you blacked out," Haru tells me. "We were checking on the others and you just... switched off."

"Can I... get a coffee?" I ask. Suddenly, the thought of that makes me giggle. "The barista wants a coffee... heh..."

I can't quite make sense of what's happening around me. I'm sat in a chair in what I think is one of the private rooms. There's two occupied beds a few feet away, but they may as well be islands... a million miles away from me in a vast ocean of brain chemicals and tacky furniture...

"Kei, you are at your limit," Ayaka tells me. "I think we need to get you into bed."

"Can I have... coffee first though?" I ask. "I'd like a coffee before I... sleep."

There's a discussion between Ayaka and... someone. Was there someone else here? I can't quite... remember. They're whispering I think. Either that or they're screaming in my ear. I'm not sure which. Maybe both?

I like... coffee.

I know coffee.

Do I know coffee?

I want... a cup of...

"Here you go."

A cup's pressed gently into my hands, and I just about manage to take a sip of it.

"That was... fast," I say. "Thank you, Arata..."

"Arata?" Arata looks at me like I've just said something strange. "Oh, um... yeah it's fine. You dozed off so it's been a couple minutes."

"I can sleep soon... right?"

"Y-yes," says Ayaka, standing to the side of Arata. She looks worried. I can't think why, really. All I can think about is...

"Did you... dye your hair?" I ask Arata. "Wasn't it... purple before? It looks... orange-y now..."

"No," Arata says, shaking his head. "Definitely haven't dyed it."

"Oh, well..." I sigh. "Can I go say goodnight to... to... um... the others? I think I need to say goodnight..."

They stop and have that weird whispering/screaming discussion I'm not part of, but a moment later, Ayaka's taking the mug of coffee out of my hands, while Arata's helping me to stand up. I have to lean against him for support but he's surprisingly strong.

"Goodnight, Ayaka," I say, woozily, stumbling out of the room with Arata. "See you in the morning..."

"Yes... goodnight, Kei..." she replies. "Goodnight..."

"Why did-"

* * *

Darkness...

Deep, deep darkness... Just for a second, but then...

"Kei! Haru!"

A voice brings me round and I open my eyes to see I'm... face down in a book. That's nice... Why does my face hurt though?

Oh, I'm bleeding...

I manage to roll over, just about, to see Arata... no... Haru? I... think it's Haru... He's slumped against the wall just a few feet away from me. He seems to be groaning, and I try to drag myself round to make sure he's okay, but suddenly I've forgot how to move.

There's a shuffling noise, and I look up to see Mitsu dragging herself across the floor towards us.

"It's... happening..." Haru croaks beside me. "I... can feel it."

And without another word, his eyes slowly close and he sinks to the ground, motionless.

"N-no," I stammer, as some brief spark of acknowledgement pulses through my mind. "It can't be... like this..."

Mitsu's managed to make her way over to us both now, and she has to prop herself up against the wall, she reaches a shaky hand out for Haru's wrist and presses her fingers to it.

"Barely... there..." she says. "I... just wanted to... ask you... before its too late..."

I can feel myself slipping now. That darkness... stronger than before. Terrible and all-consuming, like a light inside me is being snuffed out.

"Ask me... what?" I breathe. I'm digging my nails into my palms just to try and force myself to stay awake now. I can just make out the slumped forms of Hikaru and Blessing behind her, but then... my focus slips, and all I see is her.

"Kei... I need to know..." she says.

"Mitsu..."

"I need to know... I found... something in the archive..."

"I... can't..."

"On the laptop..."

"M-M...itsu..."

"Why did you lie... to us, Kei?"

* * *

Before I can even register her question, the darkness consumes my mind. Without another thought, I slip into the emptiness... and accept the end...

* * *

 **? STUDENTS REMAINING**

* * *

Oh, no, no... that won't do at all, upupu!

What sorta cliffhanger ending is that?!

Total anti-climax!

That isn't what people wanna see!

We've waited long enough, riiiiiiight?

Upupupu...

Without further adieu...

* * *

Ding dong, ding doooong!

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

With a gasp, I sit upright, and reality comes flooding back into me in an almost overwhelming flash as the monitor in the corner of the room switches itself off.

"I... I'm... alive?"

My voice is hoarse – barely more than a whisper – but that's enough to stir Haru. He raises his head with a groan and pushes himself up off the floor, crying out with satisfaction as somethng audibly pops in his back.

"Remind me not to sleep on the floor again anytime soon," he says.

"Nice to see you too," I cough. "We're alive then..."

"Seems as much," he nods. "Let's check the others."

I lean down beside Mitsu and gently shake her, while Haru stiffly picks his way across the room to Hikaru and Blessing. Mitsu stirs with a small groan and her eyes flit open slowly.

"Kei?"

"Morning," I say, fighting the urge to grin.

"We're... alive then?"

"Yeah, did that one already," Haru calls over his shoulder.

"Good to see you," I say.

"Y-yeah, you two," she says, shakily. "I... wait... I remember you!"

"And I remember... everything, I think," I say. It's true though – the past few days are suddenly all back in my mind, with the exception of those last few hours last night...

"We got... cured?" Hikaru murmurs, rubbing the back of his neck as he sits up from where he'd slumped against a pile of enormous hardbacks.

"I... think so."

"Everyone okay?" I ask, picking myself up properly and offering Mitsu a hand. She takes it and I help her up, and for a second I feel like I remember her asking me something just before we'd all passed out. The memory's gone in a flash though, and I look round to make sure the other three are alright. Blessing managed to pass out in a chair, so out of the four of us, she seems to be the least pained one of us all.

"Would it be weird if I said 'group hug' right now, guys?" Hikaru asks. I burst out laughing, and before anyone can say another word, we're all laughing and taking turns at hugging each other.

"Come on," I say, "let's go find the others!"

We all rush out of the Ward, past the small table with the coffee machine on it, out into the corridor with all the private rooms. As one, we knock excitedly at the door of the room closest to us and then throw it open wide...

And then that terrible sound filled the air...

Ding dong dong ding!

"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma's voice rang out, excitedly. "Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Class Trial will begin!"

A... body...

So she's really... dead?

Ayaka Suzuki, the Ultimate Vet... lay slumped against the far wall, a look of sheer terror in her unseeing eyes...

"Wh-what?" I stammer. "It can't be... can it?"

"Not again..." Haru murmurs darkly.

"It can't be..." Hikaru wails. "N-no!"

"Quick," Mitsu says, "we should wake the others."

In a daze, Blessing and I move over to the bed Kaori's in. The covers are pulled over her face, and I gently pull them back.

"K-Kaori, you need to wake up," Blessing tells her, trying to brush some of her long brown hair out of the way to see her face. "It's Ayaka... she's..."

Suddenly, she stops – her words ending in a choked sob, and when I realise why I let out an involuntary cry.

"N...no..."

"Kei?" Haru and Mitsu look up, with Miniro now rising from his own bed. The three of them look over at us, and before I can even speak a word-

Ding dong dong ding!

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Class Trial will begin!"

For the second time in less than a minute, the Body Discovery Announcement rang out, confirming my worst fears...

Kaori Yoshida, the Ultimate Electrician... had been killed too.

* * *

 **13 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	14. Chapter 02: Despairborne (VIII)

"N-not again..." It's barely a whisper, but it's all I can manage...

Kaori Yoshida, who had been so energetic and full of personality, and Ayaka Suzuki, who had been nothing but kind and helpful in our time together... The last time I had properly spoke to Kaori, she had been furious at me. And last time I had spoke to Ayaka, I'd been too delirious to say half the things I'd have liked to. I wasn't even in my right mind to thank her properly for all she'd done for us.

And now I never could...

"How could this happen?" Haru murmurs.

I don't even notice the others arriving. I'm just... numb. Paralyzed for an infinity of moments, until I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Mitsu standing between me and Blessing. She has Blessing pressed against her, sobbing quietly into her shoulder, but she's inspecting me with one of those strange looks of hers. For a moment, I'm just glad that she remembers me enough to even look at me like that, but that thought is quickly replaced with a horrifying realisation...

There's a killer in this castle...

Again.

I look round from Mitsu to face the others, finding myself inspecting their faces. Would I be able to tell just from looking? I hadn't the first time...

My thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Monokuma, managing to do his usual act of literally appearing from nowhere. He seems the happiest I'd seen him since the Class Trial, and of course, I knew exactly why.

"Double kill, double kill!" he screeches. "I never thought somebody would have it in 'em! Nice to see a bit of backbone amongst the bunch of you wishy-washy bleeding hearts! Oh, she's bleeding a little..."

"Shut up!" snaps Kimi. "Do what you have to do and get out of here. We don't wish to hear your gloating."

"Oh, well, I know where I'm not wanted," huffs Monokuma, slouching in a defeated pose. "I guess I can just add the Monokuma File to your ElectroIDs from somewhere else."

Instead of his usual disappearing act, he stomps off towards the door, muttering darkly under his breath. "Had a real good build-up... lousy brat..."

His protests fade away, and for a moment the room is silent. But then, multiple bleeping sounds emit from within pockets and bags. No-one makes an attempt to retrieve their ElectroIDs. We're all still taking it in...

Miniro seems to be completely stunned, his eyes wide and haunted. Mitsu and Daisuke are tying to gently coax him out of the bed without disturbing Ayaka's body, that lies only a few feet away from the bed, propped against the wall. It takes a few minutes, but finally, he's on his feet, joining the rest of us as we look on at the room.

I'm still in total disbelief. How could this have happened? How was it even possible?

"This is not at all what I ever expected..." Kimi says. "How could anyone do something so... distasteful?" I guess she's shaken too... in her own way.

"We... we all survived," stammers Hikaru. "B-but they didn't?"

"And now we know how we survived," Masashi says. He sounds drained. Not the panicky and fearful way he had after we found Arata's body in the Maze. It was like this had just completely thrown him, and he didn't know how to react anymore. I couldn't blame him, really.

"Before we go any further," Fumio says, "aren't we missing someone else?"

"Someone else?!" Yuki's eyes widen in horror. "You mean the killer's struck again already?!"

"Yamato isn't here!" I realise, panic soaring even higher as I scan the room. It's weird seeing everyone else gathered like this after the past day, but there's just no time to celebrate. Especially now.

"We better go look for him," Mitsu says, with a grim expression on her face.

"Y-yeah," I nod.

"Not yet," Haru shakes his head. "Or at least, not everyone. We don't know how much time we have to investigate." He's stony-faced, but there almost seems to be a fire in his eyes as he looks round at us. "Kei, why don't you and Hikaru check if he's in the private room? I think he could do with a second outside."

I manage a shaky nod, and pass the others, gently guiding Hikaru by the shoulder out into the hallway. Some of the others come out behind us, with murmurs of going to investigate elsewhere.

* * *

Once the others have all filed away, only Hikaru and I remain in the hallway.

His eyes are wide and haunted, and he's trembling pretty intensely.

"Just take a few deep breaths, okay, Hikaru?" I tell him, quietly, gently holding on to his arms. He looks close to tears, but he manages to nod back at me, lips trembling.

We stand for a few seconds, neither of us talking as he takes several deep breaths. Finally, he gives me another small nod and I let go of him.

"Good to go?" I ask him. My voice sounds all scratchy now, but he doesn't say anything – just nods again.

We move along the corridor, passing several doors that had been thrown open by the others upon hearing the Body Discovery Announcement. Not all of the rooms had been used though, and at first I'm not sure where to start, but a sudden metallic rattle catches my attention and Hikaru and I quickly approach a door near the end of the corridor.

I hadn't noticed from further away, but now that I'm up closer I can see one of the fancy ornamental vases that are scattered throughout the castle has toppled over and broken slightly. Several of the shards lay scattered over the floor around the door.

Weirdly enough, I feel my ElectroID buzz in my pocket, but I ignore it, and bring my attention back to the door. The handle is still rattling furiously, but the door doesn't seem to want to open.

At least now I know for definite Yamato's alive... Hikaru and I exchange confused looks for a moment as the handle seems to turn itself in vain a few more times, before I reach out and try turning it myself.

With not much success...

I press my ear to the wood of the door and try to listen out, but I can't hear a thing. I gingerly knock at it, and wait for Yamato to knock back, or shout something, but still nothing...

But then I feel the surface of the door seems to shake, just ever so slightly, and I knock at it again. A moment later, the same thing happens.

"He must be knocking back," Hikaru says. It's barely a mumble, like he's finding it difficult to string the words together properly. I understand how he feels...

"I guess it must be jammed," I frown. "Could some of the vase fragments jammed underneath the door or something?"

Hikaru leans down beside me and inspects the bottom of the door. "It's... it's a pretty thin... s-sorry, I'm still... trying to process." He waves a hand dismissively as I look at him with concern. "Um, sorry, just a sec..."

He rubs at his eyes again and lets out a long, deep breath. "I'm okay. Um, as I was saying, sorry... the gap's pretty thin, but it wouldn't be impossible for some of the shards to have stuck under."

"And he doesn't seem to be having much luck shifting it from his side," I sigh. "Should we see what we can do from this end?"

"Y-yeah, sure," Hikaru nods, and we both take a few steps back from the door.

"I'll count down and then we charge it, 'kay?" I tell him. He nods.

"Three. Two. One. Go!"

Together, we rush forwards, shoulders prepared to charge the door. We hit into it full force and bounce off, and there's a horrible crunching noise from beneath.

"Again?"

I nod.

"Three. Two. One. Go!"

This time, we don't bounce back. Instead, there's an ear-splitting screech of protest from the door as it finally gives in and slowly starts to inch open.

"Thank god!" Yamato's grateful voice reaches through the gap in the door. "I was starting to think I'd never get out!

His long fingers curl round the side of the door and he starts to pull from the inside as Hikaru and I give it another shove. There's a shudder of protest from the door, but finally, it opens wide enough for Yamato to slip through and give us both a wide smile.

"Much appreciated," he says. "And good to see you both, by the way." His face crumples. "Though... I heard the Body Discovery Announcements. And I saw the Monokuma File."

"Kaori and Ayaka," I nod, gravely. "So now we know how we're still alive."

"Not that it'll matter for long if whoever did it gets their way," Yamato points out. He glances at Hikaru and sees the aghast expression on his face. "Fuck, sorry... uh, what happened with the door though?" he asks, trying to change the subject. I look down at the floor and notice several arcing marks have been left scraped into the tile floor.

"Looks like it was what we thought," I say to Hikaru. He nods, and leans down again to inspect it more closely.

"Smaller pieces of the broken vase managed to get lodged under the gap in the door," he explains to Yamato.

"That's weird, right?" Yamato asks, frowning.

"Just a tad," I admit. "I think I'll make a note of it though... It could be important." I withdraw my ElectroID and with its characteristic ping, **BROKEN VASE** and **PRIVATE ROOM 7'S DOOR** flash up one after the other. Hmm, so it had already registered the vase...

"Should we get back to the others now?" Hikaru asks, looking a little worried.

"If you're feeling up to it, yeah," I nod. "Maybe even just take a quick look around out here if you like?"

"I can stay out here with you," Yamato says. "I... don't know if I can really face seeing them yet."

"Just come shout me if you need anything, okay?" I say to them both. "I'm gonna go see how the others are doing."

Hikaru manages a shaky nod, and I offer a wobbly, forced smile in return. I don't feel anywhere as near as calm as I'm trying to act right now. It's too much to think about, really, but just like before – with Arata – I know our lives are on the line if I don't do what has to be done.

That doesn't mean I'm okay about it – not for a second...

* * *

I return to the Private Room, nearly walking into the back of Ino as I step into the room. She looks up at me with angry eyes for a moment, but then she seems to subside and she just sighs at me loudly as she steps out of my way.

"Ino and I are on guard duty for now," Fumio explains. "We thought it would be best that Miniro wasn't left here..."

"Y'know, seeing as he probably did it," Ino hisses.

"There'll be time for accusations soon enough," I hear Haru say from the far side of the room. He glances up at us from where he's inspecting Kaori's body, and gives me one of his usual enigmatic expressions. "You've lost Hikaru?"

"He's with Yamato outside. They're gonna check over the corridor and the other rooms, I think."

"Probably a good idea," he says, approvingly. "And you?"

I'm not sure how to reply for a moment, but I show him the ElectroID in my hand and give a determined nod.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"That you are," he says. For a second, I think he's going to tell me something, but then his face darkens and he goes to walk past me. "Oh, well, good luck."

And with that, he's off. I find myself looking back over my shoulder for a second, like I'm waiting for him to come back, but to no avail.

"I still don't trust him," Ino mutters.

"Hey, Kei, if you're done with whatever you're doing," Mitsu says, waving me over. She's knelt over Ayaka's body, but pushes herself back up to her full height as I approach. Masashi is peering over Ayaka too with a pained expression, but it looks like he doesn't want to talk.

"What do we know so far?" I ask Mitsu.

"You haven't checked the Monokuma File yet, have you?" she sighs. "Take a look."

I don't question her, immediately waking my ElectroID back up again. It doesn't take me more than a few seconds to navigate through the menus to find the bullet-shaped tab: **MONOKUMA FILE #2**. I grit my teeth a little as I press the screen, bothered at the thought I ever had to see one of these files in the first place.

Like it had with the first file, a spinning Monokuma logo flashes up, and then splits into two, separating across the screen. Two images show up – side-by-side black-and-white photographs of Kaori and Ayaka, with the same 'dead' emblem splashed across them.

Kaori's information shows up first – name, height, weight, blood type, birthday – and then the same for Ayaka. Their smiling faces show up alongside their information, and just like before, I have to swipe them away as that horrible, familiar sting of sadness hits home. The next page is the photographs from the security cameras, displaying Kaori and Ayaka's bodies. I swipe past this to the next page for the crime scene information.

There are two victims this time: Kaori Yoshida and Ayaka Suzuki. Both victims bodies' were discovered in Private Room 1 in the Medical Wing on the Third Floor.

"W-wait... that's it?!" I frown.

"That's it," Mitsu sighs. "Not particularly indepth, is it?"

"W-well, no... Last time there was more, surely? A cause of death at least!"

"Interesting, isn't it?" she says. "I'm not sure how that's completely fair, to be honest."

"Food for thought..." I murmur. "Um, so... did you guys find anything so far?"

"Take a look for yourself," Masashi says, quietly. "You can hardly rely on everyone else for answers. Who's to say you're not asking a culprit?"

"Masashi..."

He shakes his head. "Not the time for it – I'm sorry. I didn't help before, and it was only once that whole farce was over that I realised what a mistake that had been. I never make the same mistake twice."

His words hang heavy in the still air of the private room. He seems to come to a conclusion with his inspection of Ayaka's body, and he turns away from her to face us.

"I'm going to go search elsewhere for a while. Please do your best."

"I will," I tell him. "We all will."

"I don't have time to argue about that," he says, quietly. A moment later, he's strode off into the corridor, leaving Mitsu and I alone with the bodies of our two friends.

"He's an interesting person..." she comments. "But now isn't the time for character study. Are you up for this?"

"I have to be," I sigh. "It's the only way, right?"

She doesn't bother to reply.

I kneel down beside Ayaka, trying to work out just what the hell I should be looking for. It had been her and Mitsu that had managed to look over Arata's body before. I had more or less been a sounding board.

"Start from the top," Mitsu suggests. She's scribbling away in her notebook again, copying information from her ElectroID by the looks of things. I nod and prop myself up a little higher so I can see the top of Ayaka's head.

There's a small amount of dried blood in her hair, round about the crown, and – doing my best not to disturb her body – I peer in a little closer.

"She's got a head wound," I say – more to myself than anyone else. Nevertheless, I hear Mitsu make a small noise of agreement. My ElectroID agrees with me too, as **AYAKA'S HEAD WOUND** flashes up onscreen with its notifying ping!

"Anything else you notice?" Mitsu asks from behind me. I frown as I try to see anything else, til I shift position so I'm a little more to the side.

"Oh..."

There's not an enormous amount of blood from the wound, but it looks like some has ran down the wall behind her, staining the pale stone wall a dark red.

 **BLOODSTAIN ON WALL** , my ElectroID informs me with another ping!

"Do you think the head wound was what killed her?" I ask Mitsu. Mitsu considers this for a moment and then shakes her head.

"I can't say for definite," she replies, "but after looking at everything else, I wouldn't say so, no. The head wound is still important though."

"Right..."

I get back to my investigation of Ayaka's body, looking away from the head wound and down to her face. It's painful to look into her dull eyes, and I have to glance away fairly quickly, but if anything that's a blessing in disguise, as my gaze falls onto her neck...

Just like before with Arata, there's bruising around her neck. Only this time, it doesn't seem to be in the narrow, straight formation that had been left on his from Cho's blackbelt. These bruises are deeper and more spread out – blotches of blue and purple and yellow, like terrible flowers shining against the dark skin of her neck.

With the notification sound, a tab labelled **AYAKA'S AUTOPSY** appears, and I notice the information about her head wound seems to compile in with that now.

"Fuck..." I murmur, forcing myself not to turn away. "This is... horrible."

"It is," Mitsu agrees. "All we can do to help them now is find their killer."

I rub at my eyes and get back to it, trying to think of the sort of things Ayaka had checked on Arata's body before. Her arms are slumped at her side, with her hands limply rested on the floor.

"You're checking her hands?" Mitsu asks.

"There's nothing that really drew my attention," I explain, "but just on the off-chance there's something we might miss otherwise."

Steeling my nerves, I carefully reach out and gently lift Ayaka's hand. It's ice-cold to the touch, and I fight a shudder for a second before I focus properly. There doesn't seem to be any marks on her hand at all, or any bruising by the looks of things. All her nails are cut down very short, so I don't see anything like that providing any evidence this time round.

I place her hand back down where it had been before, suppressing another chill that runs up my spine. Though I haven't found anything, there's still something about her hands that are niggling at me a little. Deciding it's better safe than sorry, I hover my ElectroID over them and a new tab labelled **AYAKA'S HANDS** appears onscreen.

"I don't think you'll notice anything else on her body," Mitsu says. "I'm no real expert but it doesn't look like she broke any bones or anything."

I nod my understanding, and go to rise to my feet again, but then something else catches my eye.

"Her coat's all stained," I murmur, pointing at a pale brown stain on the bottom of her long, white medical coat. I experimentally rub the visible part of the stained coat and frown. "Seems to have dried in."

"Might have something to do with that," Fumio says, pointing in the direction of a mug lying on the floor near an unoccupied chair.

"That was mine from last night... I think," I frown. "I don't remember completely. Still a bit hazy..."

"Do you think you could have knocked it over?" Mitsu asks. I shake my head.

"I... don't think so. If I remember correctly, either Ayaka or Haru took it off me before Haru helped me back to the Ward."

"Hm... maybe you should double check with Haru then. He might remember."

"That's a good idea," I nod. "I'll go find him once I'm done here."

A moment later, the ElectroID is updated with **STAIN ON COAT** and **KNOCKED OVER MUG**.

"Hey, geniuses," Ino says, crouching down next to the mug. "Maybe you should all take a closer look at the floor over here."

"You've found something?" Mitsu asks, interest piqued. We all gather round the mug and Ino circles her finger to indicate the floor around it a few times.

"See it? Coffee spill. It's dried into the floor a fair amount, but it's still just about visible."

"Hey, that's right," I nod, running a hand through my hair as I lean in a little closer. The spillage looks to have pooled out, but now the coffee has been absorbed into the floor, leaving nothing but a faint mark that it had ever been there. I raise my ElectroID up in unison with Mitsu, already feeling the slight buzz as the Evidence tab updates itself with **COFFEE STAIN**.

"So I should definitely remember to check with Haru about the coffee," I say, more to myself than any of the others. I frown a little, as that weird niggling feeling of missing something gets at me. "I guess I should check Kaori's body first..."

"I think I'm done here for now," Mitsu says. "I'm going to go see how the others are doing. I'll catch up with you all later."

And then she's gone. Suddenly, I feel a lot more uneasy. Having Haru or Mitsu around for moments like this one had made me a lot more sure of what I was doing. Still, I steel my nerves, and approach the bed where Kaori's body is still lying. It looks like Haru had pulled the bedsheet back over her once he'd finished with his investigating.

Ino's suddenly standing at the other side of the bed from me, arms folded. She's looking at me with an expression I can only imagine a hawk gives a mouse its about to swoop down on.

"D-did I do something?" I ask her.

"Not that I've seen," she says. "Yet."

"You're keeping an eye on me in case I'm the culprit," I nod. "I guess that's fair. I... kind of feel better to have someone watching anyway."

She doesn't seem to particularly care how I feel and shrugs, haughtily. "Just get on with it."

"O-okay..."

I turn back to Kaori's body on the bed. It takes me a few moments to bring myself to pull the covers back again, reliving the last time I had done this exact motion, what already felt like a lifetime ago.

As she was before, her eyes are closed, and part of me feels glad of that, because it's suddenly much easier to imagine she's just sleeping.

Well, I can lie to myself that it's easier...

But its almost straight away I notice what's wrong.

"Just like Ayaka..." I murmur.

"What do you mean?" Ino asks, bluntly.

"Look at her neck," I reply. "There's bruising round it like Ayaka's."

"So you think she was killed the same way?"

"I don't know for sure," I frown, raising my ElectroID. With a bleep, **KAORI'S AUTOPSY** appears onscreen. "I don't want to rush to any conclusions..."

"Hm, probably best you don't," Ino agrees, pointing at Kaori's neck. "What's that? Come round here."

I walk around the bed to stand beside Ino and lean in at where she'd been pointing. On Kaori's bruised neck, there's a tiny mark – barely a millimetre in size. I wouldn't have noticed it from the other side of the bed but at this side the mark's just barely visible, by a tiny fleck of dried blood.

"It's tiny," I murmur. "What would leave something like that?"

"Not sure," shrugs Ino. "Looks like a puncture mark though, right?"

"Hm, yeah," I nod. "That's weird... wait... there's another one there, too."

Maybe a centimetre away from that mark is another one, identical in size. There doesn't look to be any dried blood from this one, which had made it stand out even less...

With **PUNCTURE MARKS** added to the ElectroID, I turn back to Kaori's body, walking around the bed again. There's nothing else that really stands out to me besides the neck injuries so far, and I decide to check her hands like I had with Ayaka, just on the off-chance. I pull the covers over a little further, and this shifts her arm, causing it to fall and hang limply over the edge of the bed.

Her forearms are bare, but that just makes it clearer that something is very... very... wrong.

"What the hell is that?" Ino cries out. I shake my head, eyes wide in horror.

"What is it?" asks Fumio from the doorway, walking over. "Oh, shit..."

The veins on Kaori's arms are swollen and dark – almost completely black.

"What the hell could have done that?" I cry. "That wasn't Monokuma's Syndrome, was it?"

A familiar giggle fills the room and Monokuma appears, stumbling through the doorway.

"Well, y'know, I can answer that question for you!" he cheers, crawling up to stand on the empty bed Miniro had been sleeping in. He stops and doesn't say anything else, while the three of us look on at him, waiting for him to go on.

"Whenever you're ready!" Ino snaps.

Monokuma looks at her and raises a paw to his mouth.

"Oh?" he says in mock confusion. "Sorry, what were you wanting?"

"You said you had the answer about whether or not Monokuma's Syndrome had something to do with this," Fumio says.

"Did I?" sighs Monokuma. He feigns realisation dawning on him and nods. "Ahh, yes, of course, that's it. Yeah, sorry, I think you guys misunderstood me."

"Misunderstood you?" I repeat.

"Well, yeah," he nods. "I said I can answer the question, but I didn't say that I would."

"Oh, screw you!" Fumio groans.

"What was the point of even showing up like that?" Ino sighs.

"Thought it'd be funny," Monokuma shrugs. "Byesies!"

And with that, he's off through the door again.

"What a waste of time," I sigh. "But this is really... strange. I can't imagine what did this."

I raise my ElectroID to her arm. **KAORI'S AUTOPSY** updates itself with a note on the veins of her arms. I pocket the ElectroID again. "This is just making less sense by the second..."

"It must have been some kind of poison," Fumio says, frowning. "I can't think of anything else that would have that sort of effect on someone."

"Any idea what kind of poison?" I ask. "I mean I've heard of sparkling cyanide in like old timey murder mysteries, but never something that could do that to someone..."

Fumio grimaces and shakes his head. "I couldn't say, really. I'd offer to do a test on the blood but I'm just not sure we have the time." He clicks his fingers as realisation dawns. "There must be something about poison in one of the books up here, right? We've dragged most of the medical section of the Library up here!"

"Hey, that's right!" I nod, enthusiastically. "If I can find one do you think you'd be able to find something that would help?"

"Well, I mean, it might not even matter in the end," he says, "but if you think it could be helpful then I'll do my best if you can find a book."

"Then I'll keep an eye out," I nod. "I'm gonna go check on the others."

"Okay," he says. "Good luck, Kei."

"Good luck, you two," I say back, heading out the door into the corridor again.

* * *

Hikaru and Yamato are in the main ward when I finally find them. Hikaru's scribbling down something on a piece of paper while Yamato comments and points at it, but they both stop to look up as I approach.

"Hey," Yamato says, "found anything yet?"

"A few things," I nod. "None of them supremly helpful yet, though. There's more questions than answers at this point. It looks like they could have been killed in different ways."

"Shit..."

"Yeah..." I sigh. "So, um, did you guys find anything?"

"We checked the rooms, but nothing stuck out," Hikaru says, shaking his head.

"But Hikaru suggested that we make a note of who was in what room, cos it could help with placing each of us, y'know?"

"That's a good idea," I nod.

"Here," Hikaru says, holding out a sheet of paper. "It's just a rough sketch, but I figured we didn't need anything too detailed."

I take the paper from him and take a look at it. It's a quickly sketched map of the Medical Wing, with a few crosses in the main ward labelled: Hikaru, Haru, Kei, Mitsu, Blessing; three crosses in Room 1 labelled: Kaori, Ayaka, Miniro; and then one cross in each room along the corridor.

"So Yuki was in Room 2, Kimi was in Room 3, Masashi was in 4, Ino was in 5, Daisuke was in 6, Yamato was in 7, and Haru and I brought Fumio to Room 8. That should be everybody."

Yamato counts on his fingers. "Yeah, that's fifteen of us altogether."

"This might turn out to be pretty useful," I nod, holding my ElectroID up to it.

 **HIKARU'S SKETCH** flashes onscreen.

"Now that we've done that though, I kinda feel lost again," Hikaru sighs. "I just can't believe this is happening..."

"I know," I sigh. "It's pretty overwhelming, but we need to keep on going. If you guys aren't sure what to do, then maybe I could ask you a favour?"

"Fire away," Yamato nods.

I quickly explain about Fumio needing a book on poisons, and they agree to hunt through the stacks of books that still fill the room, to see if there's anything that might fit the bill. I thank them, and tell them I'm gonna see where the others have got to, before heading off out of the Medical Wing into the Third Floor hall.

Right... where would everyone else be?

I could check the Common Room, I suppose... or...

Suddenly, I realise: if I came to the conclusion that poison had been used somehow, then no doubt some of the others would have picked up on the exact same thing.

And where's the most likely place to get that?

"The Science Lab!" I murmur under my breath, already running across the hall, my footsteps echoing around me as I go.

* * *

It takes me a few seconds to remember where exactly the Science Lab actually is, having only been down that way once since the Second and Third Floors had opened to us, but I hunt it out eventually, and pass through the sliding glass doors into the sterile, white chamber beyond.

It looks like I'd been right, and Masashi and Haru are searching different sides of the Lab. Neither of them bother looking up as I walk in, too pre-occupied with their own investigations.

"So you guys saw what had happened to Kaori's veins?" I ask. They both look up at me and nod.

"I wasn't sure what to make of it at first," Haru admits. "But I can't think of anywhere else you'd be able to get something to do that to a person, except in here."

"Looks like you had the same thought, yourself," Masashi says to me. I nod my head.

"Any luck?" I ask.

"Nothing concrete," Haru says. "Still got the storage cooler to check though."

"That's the big fridge at the back, right?" I ask, pointing at the large steel door.

"Yeah," Haru replies, gesturing for me to follow him towards it. "It's a walk-in, full of all sorts of different chemicals and stuff."

We approach the door and he yanks the handle full force, grunting a little with the effort. There's that same hydraulic hissing noise I'd heard it give the first time I'd seen it open, and the same few jets of steam shooting out as the door inches open.

A wave of coldness pours out into the Lab in an instant, and I pull my hoodie round me a little tighter as I follow Haru into the walk-in.

It's a long, narrow room with tall metal racks of shelves lining both sides. The lighting is strange in here, and everything is tinted blue, like it's all under blacklight. It adds to the cold atmosphere too – wisps of vapour dance around our feet as we step a little further inside.

The racks are full of bottles and vials and other containers, all labelled neatly and arranged in some sort of alpha-numeric system. Haru starts pawing through the bottles closest to him on the right hand side, so I start my search opposite him. I know we're... probably looking for some sort of poison, but a lot of these labels aren't particularly obvious. I prefer sci-fi to actual science, really...

With my breath puffing out in streams of vapour, I fumble through the collection of containers, trying not to move any out of place. None of them appear to have been used, or even opened yet. I tell this to Haru, who confirms that the rack he's searching is very much the same.

We keep on going, double-checking each other's shelves just to confirm neither of us have missed anything. I remember I have something to ask Haru, and I glance over my shoulder for a second.

"Hey, I meant to ask you – did I knock over that mug of coffee I had in the room last night?"

"The coffee?" he echoes. "I don't think so. In fact, no, I'm definite you didn't. You had your funny turn and Ayaka helped me sit you down. You regained consciousness and asked for a coffee, then you started spacing out again so Ayaka took the coffee off of you and placed it on the floor by the chair."

"And I didn't knock it over on the way out?"

"No, neither of us did. I'm completely certain of it."

"Right," I nod, "that's good to know – I'm glad you cleared that up for me because I wasn't sure."

I tap my ElectroID screen and a bubble appears labelled **HARU'S ACCOUNT**. I go to quickly double check it but then Haru seems to notice something.

"Oh... look at this..."

I turn round to see what he's pointing at. On one of the shelves near the bottom there's a bottle that's just a little emptier than the ones around it. Haru gingerly picks the bottle up off of the shelf and turns it over in his hand to read the label.

"Epinephrine X..." he murmurs.

"Epinephrine? That's adrenaline, right?" I ask. He looks at me, eyebrows raised, like he's surprised I'd know that. "I've got a friend back home who's diabetic," I explain. "She uses an EpiPen."

"I wonder what the X means though" he ponders. "I can't say I've ever seen any sort of medication or chemical described like that before. Except, y'know... in cartoons."

"Could it be like a special chemical?" I ask.

"I'm not sure," he admits. "I have a feeling it's relevant though, seeing as a small amount has been taken from the bottle."

I nod, fumbling in my pocket for my ElectroID. "I think you're right." I hold it up at the bottle and **EPINEPHRINE** appears onscreen a second later. "Do you think that this could have killed Kaori though?"

"I doubt it," he says, shaking his head. "Even if she had some sort of allergy to epinephrine I don't think it would have done that to her."

"Hm, fair point," I agree. "I've never heard of anyone reacting to something like that though." The image of Kaori's blackened veins flashes in my mind's eye and I shudder – though that could partly to be to do with the temperature in the walk-in.

Haru places the bottle back on the shelf after quickly running his ElectroID over it. "Come on, let's keep looking," he says.

We continue with the task of hunting through the racks for another few minutes without much luck. Masashi appears briefly and informs us he's going to take another look at the crime scene, and disappears without another word.

"Do you think he's coping okay?" I ask Haru. He hums in response, like he's only half-heard me, but then he straightens up from searching a bottom shelf as he seems to register what I'd asked.

"I'm not sure," he says. "His behaviour before was quite hostile, and he seemed genuinely affected after that Trial. This time around I think he has his doubts and his suspicions in all of us, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"I don't want to doubt my friends," I reply, turning away from the shelf to face him now. "I... I know it's part of the process now and I know that one of us is guilty, but that... that doesn't mean I can just accept it."

This makes him smile a little, but there's a sadness in his orange eyes. "That isn't the worst mindset to have, Kei," he says. "Though I still think you're naive."

"I'm aware," I reply, drily. "What do you think though?"

"Think of what?" he replies, frowning.

"Of all of this," I say, shrugging. "This castle, this killing game, this... whole situation?"

"I think..." he starts, closing his eyes and sighing. "I think..." He shakes his head and opens his eyes again. "I think it's a conversation best saved for later."

He turns away from me again, back to searching the shelves, and after a moment I do the same. I just hope there is a later...

As we make our way towards the back of the walk-in, something else catches my eye on one of the middle shelves. An orange-labelled bottle that – just like the epinephrine – looks slightly less full than the rest of the bottles around it. I stop Haru and point up at the bottle, and he peers over my shoulder as I pick it off the shelf.

"Propofol," I read from the label. "Hm, can't say I've heard of that one."

"It's a knock-out drug," Haru replies. "Pretty fast-acting too."

"How the heck do you know that?"

He shrugs. "Can't remember."

"I wonder if it's something to do with your Ultimate talent," I ponder. He shrugs again. "Hm, anyway, this propo... what did you call it?"

"Propofol."

"This propofol is like an anaesthetic then, yeah?"

He nods.

Like before, **PROPOFOL** adds itself into my list of evidence, and I tuck the ElectroID back into my pocket before putting the bottle back on the shelf.

"So some adrenaline and some anaesthetic have been taken from here... And it's still possible there's some kind of poison used too."

"Things aren't getting much clearer," sighs Haru.

"Well, maybe I can help with that!"

A small monitor next to the door has suddenly flickered into life, and Monokuma is gazing out at us with that same gleeful attitude he had before.

"What do you want?" Haru groans. "We're busy."

"Not for long," Monokuma retorts. Before either of us can respond, the screen cuts out again.

"Why does he keep-"

I'm interrupted by the screen switching back on again, and the terrible chiming of the intercom. I know at this moment, its broadcasting through the entire Castle...

Ding dong dong ding!

"Okay, I'm getting suuuuuper impatient here, so I'm speeding things up! Investigation time is over! If you'll all make your way through the Monokuma gate in the Courtyard, the elevator will be with you shortly! And remember, failure to attend will result in punishment!"

The screen cuts out again and Haru and I exchange glances before we make our way out of the walk-in.

"We only have half the picture here," I cry, feeling that familiar knot of anxiety and dread rear up in me. I'd been able to put the thought of the Class Trial off a little as I was investigating, but now I have to actually confront it.

"I'm sure the others will have made some progress," Haru says. He slides his hands into his pockets, looking deep in thought for a moment. "Do me a favour, will you? I want to take one last quick look at the Private Room, so try and stall for me if you have to, okay?"

"But if you take too long you'll get in trouble!" I say, following him out of the Science Lab and along the Second Floor corridor.

"Then I won't take too long," he says. "I just need a couple minutes."

"I don't like this, Haru," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow at me and I let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Kei," he replies. "It might just save our lives."

"Here's hoping," I murmur as we reach the landing. He gives me a nod in farewell and dashes through the door onto the Staircase, gone in a flash. I find myself gazing after him again. It's like the more I talk to him, the more confusing he gets...

I guess now isn't the time to think about that though. I need to get down to the Courtyard. And find a way to stall for time...

I hear the door at the bottom of the Staircase that leads onto the Entrance Hall slamming shut behind someone, and I figure the others must have all gone ahead. Trying not to move too quickly, or too slowly, I make my way downwards after them, trying to rack my brains over everything I've discovered so far.

* * *

I'm lost in thought all the way out of the Castle and into the Grounds. The pale morning light hurts my eyes a little, and the way the snow underfoot glitters makes me feel dizzy. I make my way across the wooden covered bridge and find myself in the Central Courtyard with the bandstand.

The others are already here, with the exception of Haru, and I find myself looking at each of their faces in turn. We're missing four people already... How could this happen?

"We were just waiting til everyone was together before we went through the gate," explains Blessing. She still seems very shaken, but she's trying to hold herself together.

"Yes, shouldn't Haru be with you?" Masashi asks.

I shake my head, quickly trying to think of a cover story should Monokuma appear. "Um, no, he had to, um..."

"Hope I didn't keep you all waiting."

I just about manage to hold in my sigh of relief as Haru arrives. He must have needed less time than I thought – not that I'm complaining as it saves me the trouble of thinking up a convincing lie.

"Well, that's all of us," Yuki says, sadly. "We need to get going..."

"I think this should be an interesting experience," Masashi says, striding towards the gate with the Monokuma eye motif on it. He pushes it open and looks back at the rest of us, expectantly. "Aren't you coming?"

"You've changed your tune," Fumio points out.

"Again," Kimi adds. She eyes him with suspicion. "Are you privy to some knowledge that we aren't?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing like that," he says, "but I have some idea of what to expect this time. And as I said earlier, I never make the same mistake twice."

And with that, he turns on his heel and disappears into the passageway beyond the gate.

"I don't like this," Yamato tells me as he makes his way towards the gate. "I don't like this one bit..."

Daisuke and Miniro pass by behind him, neither of them talking now. There's a great sadness in Daisuke's eyes – more so than maybe I'd noticed before. There's something not quite right with Miniro either, but I suppose that's understandable given the circumstances.

"Are you prepared?" Mitsu asks me as we make our way into the passageway after the others.

"I don't think I could ever be completely prepared for something like this," I tell her. "I feel like we only got half the story."

"Then this Trial is about filling in the blanks," she nods. "Do your best, Kei. I think I can count on you."

"That's reassuring," I murmur. "But thank you – I'll try and do my best. I'll be counting on you too. I'm counting on... everyone to do their best, for those of us that can't anymore."

"Time to get going then," Mitsu says. "Let's do what we can, for all our sake's."

The concealed entrance is already open, and the others are already filing into the elevator ahead of us. Without another word, we follow after them and a few moments later the doors clatter shut in front of us.

With that same dull clunk, the elevator starts to descend. Down, and down, and down. Into the deep, deep dark... Every few metres bringing us further and further into the depths of this castle of despair...

The elevator screeches to a halt a short eternity later, and a small bell chimes out. The doors fly open and we find ourselves here again... The trial ground...

"Nice to see ya!" Monokuma cheers from his throne. "You know the drill about finding your podiums, right? I even made sure to add one for the newbie!"

He gestures a paw at the podiums assembled in a circle in the centre of the chamber. There's a new stand in between Masashi's, and Arata's empty stand. And there are three new portraits standing in Cho's, Kaori's, and Ayaka's empty places, each marked with a bloody pink cross.

Hikaru looks stunned, and I realise, too late that of course he had no idea what to expect. He approaches his podium in a daze, glancing round to watch the rest of us as we get into position and each place our ElectroIDs in front of us.

"The podiums are gonna move about a bit," I warn him under my breath, all too aware of Monokuma watching us.

"What do y-"

With an oscillating drone of power, the bases of each of the podiums flash into life, and one-by-one, they rise from the floor a few feet into the air. Hikaru cries out in surprise and grips onto the front of his stand, eyes wide in terror.

"Can everybody see me? Can everybody hear me?!" Monokuma cries, standing up on his throne, before adding in a sing-song voice: "I hope you've all got your thinking caps on – you're gonna need 'em!"

He starts to laugh wildly – that same cruel, victorious laughter we'd heard after the Body Discovery Announcements.

But he isn't going to be the victor, I tell myself as the screens around us power into life. I refuse to let him win this game. Not now, not ever.

We're back here in this terrible place to discover the truth.

We're back here to fight for our lives...

We're back here for the Second Class Trial!

* * *

 **13 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	15. Chapter 02: The Second Class Trial (I)

"Now then, let's start with a basic explanation of the Class Trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for ' _whodunnit_ '. If you vote correctly, then only the guilty party will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone _besides_ the guilty party, and that person will earn the right to leave this castle!"

Monokuma finishes his monologue and settles back into his throne, gesturing at us to begin with a wave of a paw. Unseen cameras are feeding into the screens, switching from a close-up of Monokuma to a wide shot of all of us. It makes me dizzy to look at, but fortunately enough they're quickly replaced with a blow-up of the Monokuma File.

Like in the last Trial, a flickering hologram appears in the centre of us too, displaying the same information as is now onscreen. Unlike before though, the hologram is a vibrant green colour, casting emerald shadows off of the walls of the Trial Ground.

I glance round to see it's Mitsu who's projecting the images from her ElectroID.

"Well, like last time, I think it would be beneficial for us to look over the Monokuma File for this case," she says, looking round at us all. Her gaze lingers on the portraits of Kaori and Ayaka but then she presses on. "As you've all probably realised, we don't have very much to go on from this alone."

"There are two victims this time: Kaori Yoshida and Ayaka Suzuki. Both victims bodies were discovered in Private Room 1 in the Medical Wing on the Third Floor," reads Kimi. "It only seems to state the obvious. How are we supposed to base a Trial on this?"

"Well, um, Yamato actually mentioned this to me while we were investigating," Hikaru says. He's still gripping tightly on to the sides of his podium but he seems to be deep in thought. "He told me that the last Monokuma File had more info on it, right?"

"That's true," Yamato nods. "I thought it was weird how short this one was, especially when there was... two victims."

"The ElectroIDs haven't retained the information from the previous Trial," Haru says. "I tried to look back on it myself but I couldn't find anything at all. It must have been wiped sometime after the first Trial."

"So we can't even compare the two, huh?" Yuki sighs, tugging lightly at her hair. "That could've been pretty helpful..."

But wait... there should be someone who can help with that, I realise.

"Mitsu," I say, "I'm pretty sure I remember you copying things down from the ElectroID into one of your notebooks, right? You did that during this investigation too."

"Way ahead of you," she says, already flipping through her notebook. She finally finds what she's looking for and holds her ElectroID over it. A moment later, the hologram and the screens change to display an image of the page in question.

"The victim's body was discovered at the centre of the Maze in the Castle Grounds. The estimated time of death is 7.35pm. The victim appears to have suffered knife wounds to both wrists, resulting in death. No chemicals such as poison were detected," reads Haru aloud. "Well, that's pretty telling for this case, isn't it?"

"Is it?" frowns Blessing. "I must admit, I don't quite see how this applies to this case..."

"Well, compare the two Files," he replies, crossing his arms. "What's the difference between the two?"

I knew I had been missing something to start with, and for a second seeing the other File had confused me more so, but then it hits me. Of course – it's so obvious!

"The time and cause of death!" I breathe.

"And the test for toxins," Hikaru adds, raising a finger to point at the last sentence. "The second Monokuma File doesn't mention that either."

"So what can we tell from that?" Yuki asks, tapping her fingers against her chin thoughtfully. "I... don't really understand."

"Well, it would suggest that the missing information is relevant to this case," Masashi replies, rolling his eyes at her. She doesn't seem to notice his gesture but she nods enthusiastically at this.

"Yeah, that would make sense! That must be it!" she beams. "Okay, then, Mitsu, Haru, you're the smart ones, right? Solve it for us!"

"D-Don't you think that's jumping the gun a little?" Daisuke asks. Yuki looks at him with wide-eyed horror.

"You mean there's a gun in this case too?!"

"It's just a figure of speech, Yuki," Blessing explains. "Though perhaps someone can explain exactly what you're all talking about?"

I nod. "The time, cause of death, and toxin test were all there on the first File," I say, addressing everyone, "though this was stuff we could have probably worked out from common sense at the time anyway. But in this case, all that information is missing, and all we have is confirmation of the victims and the crime scene, which means the information we're actually missing is probably pretty important for this case."

"Exactly," Haru nods. "Which supports one type of evidence."

"I suppose you're referring to whatever caused Kaori's arms to display such... unpleasant discolouring?" Kimi comments, clacking her nails off the podium in front of her.

"That's right," Mitsu confirms and swipes her ElectroID. The image of the Monokuma File changes to display a close up view of Kaori's arm. "The discolouring of Kaori's veins, and the apparent lack of a toxin test on the Monokuma File seems to prove that some form of poison was used on her."

"Well, that solves two mysteries straight away," Yamato says, counting them off on his fingers. "Cause of death and toxin test – tick and tick."

"I don't think so!" I protest. "I agree that it's fairly obvious that the lack of a toxin test supports the theory that poison was used, but that doesn't totally confirm Kaori's cause of death, surely?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Ino frowns. "It's kind of obvious that the poison killed her, isn't it?"

"No, I... I think I get what Kei's saying," Hikaru says. With all eyes on him, he hurriedly fumbles with his ElectroID and then looks to the hologram display in the centre of the room. It's now displaying a projection of Kaori's bruise-covered neck. "There's these bruises round her neck too that could be what killed her."

"Then why go to the trouble of poisoning her?" Kimi asks. "It seems counter-productive to do both, surely?"

"It was Kei that brought up the possibility of another cause of death in the first place," Masashi says, folding his arms and turning to look at me. "You must have some sort of theory, surely?"

With everyone's eyes on me now, I feel my podium start to drift forwards slightly, closer to the centre. Trying not to let that intimidate me, I inspect the hologram closely and try to think my words through.

"I'll be honest, I didn't have a particular theory in mind when I mentioned it," I admit, carefully, "but it would be dangerous to just dismiss it completely. I... I'm not sure whether one, or the other, or both were the final cause of Kaori's death, but they're probably both significant."

"Oh, and why is that?" Masashi challenges.

"Because they're the same, but they're also not the same."

It's Mitsu who's answered for me, and as we all look at her, my podium seems to shift itself back to form the full circle again. Mitsu looks round at us like she's waiting for someone to understand what she's said, but I have to admit I'm not too sure either...

"I am sorry," Kimi sighs, "but I don't quite understand."

"It's a matter of comparing the two victims of this case," Mitsu replies, pointing a finger at Kaori's portrait, then Ayaka's. "It seems strange, doesn't it?"

"What does?" frowns Daisuke, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jumper.

"Yeah, you've lost me," Yamato shrugs. "Anyone on her wavelength here?"

"I can't just tell you all," Mitsu groans. She seems frustrated more than anything. "Please... just concentrate."

Why was she being so uncooperative all of a sudden? It's like she wants to tell us, and I can't see why she wouldn't... unless...

"Something that links Kaori and Ayaka?" Yamato asks.

"Is it something to do with the crime scene?" Yuki proposes.

"Or maybe the way their b-bodies were p-positioned?" Daisuke suggests.

"What about their injuries?" Hikaru asks. I click my fingers as realisation hits me.

"I agree with that," I say, nodding vigorously. Hikaru manages a nervous smile in my direction. "You were talking about how they had been injured, right, Mitsu?"

She nods, seemingly satisfied with this. "I don't want to seem like I'm not helping," she says, "but I feel we all need to be on the same page to keep the trial moving along, and I wouldn't want to create any bias, which is why I wanted you all to take a look at things as opposed to leading you all to the answers."

"I wouldn't expect any less from the Ultimate Journalist," Masashi comments, drily.

Ignoring him, Mitsu swipes through her ElectroID again, and the hologram of Kaori's head and neck is joined by a similar hologram of Ayaka's. The two heads hover ominously in the centre of us all, rotating slowly as the hologram display tries to give us different angles to look at.

"The neck bruising is the only consistent sort of injury that they both received," Hikaru murmurs. He looks away from the holograms with sad eyes, round at the rest of us for confirmation. "That's right, isn't it?"

"From what we can compare of both the bodies, that seems to be correct," agrees Mitsu. "And that's why I think we need to be careful."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Haru says, rubbing his chin. "I... I feel like something's definitely not right here."

Kimi barks with laughter at this and we turn to look at her, a little confused. She folds her arms and rolls her eyes when she sees us all staring at her.

"Oh, come on now," she says, "is it not fairly obvious who the killer is?"

"Wait, you already know who it is?!" Yuki cheers. "That's great!"

"Well, I would say that it is the most suspicious person of us all, surely?" she says. "Someone who would have the best opportunity to murder them both? Surely even one of you has come to the same conclusion, no?"

I bring a hand to my mouth, a little taken by surprise at her words. Of course... I know who she's referring to but... could it really be? Kimi notices my reaction and points a dagger-like nail at me, slowly.

"Kei has realised it too, it would seem," she says. "Care to fill them in?"

I take a deep breath and drag my hands down the sides of my face for a moment, before I grimly turn my head to face... him.

"Miniro," I say, grimly. "Kimi means Miniro could be the killer."

"N-no!" protests Daisuke. His cry bounces off the cathedral-like walls. "I-I don't believe you! Mr Shirane w-wouldn't do anything like that!"

"You have to admit it's a possibility," Ino points out. She eyes Miniro with suspicion, but he doesn't see her – his head is bowed, like he can't meet anyone's gaze.

"I wonder what Miniro has to say in his defense?" Haru queries, as Miniro's podium slowly starts to drift towards the centre.

"M-Mr Shirane?" Daisuke stammers. Miniro is silent, head still bowed... I find myself wanting to shout at him. To tell him to speak up – to defend himself – but it's as if the expression on Daisuke's face is holding me back. He looks almost like he's in pain, fighting to hold back tears as he pleads with his friend. "Mr Shirane, please..."

"Perhaps you can elaborate to us why you suspect Miniro so much in the first place, Kimi," Haru says, his gaze moving from Daisuke to Kimi. "You seem fairly certain."

"Well, I am indeed," she says, tossing back some of her long curls of black hair. "I said already that it is because he is the person who had most opportunity to kill them both. Is it not odd that out of the three people who were in _that_ room, _he_ is the only survivor?"

"I s'pose out of everyone here, he'd have the least difficulty strangling someone," Yamato points out, though he looks particularly uncomfortable saying so.

"M-Mr Nagai? You too?" Daisuke says. The betrayal on his face is clear to see, intensifying the pained look in his eyes.

"I... don't wanna suspect him, man," Yamato says, guiltily, "but... shit, she could have a point. And... he hasn't said a word since we got in here..."

Voices overlap for a few moments with the others going back and forth. I'm trying to rack my brains over everything we saw during the investigation. We've got half a jigsaw here and on top of that, the pieces we have don't seem to fit together.

"He won't even deny it!" Ino points out. "If he were innocent wouldn't he be a little more vocal?"

"They're kind of making sense to me," Yuki admits, sadly. "I'm sorry, Miniro."

Fumio shakes his head and frowns. "It doesn't add up to me – I don't know..."

"Hold up a second!" The cry from across the room grabs everyone's attention, and we all look over to see Monokuma hopping excitedly on his throne. He does a small pirouette and then points a paw at us. "Looks like you guys are pretty evenly divided, huh?"

"Uh oh..." Yamato murmurs, eyeing the bear with suspicion.

"I can guess where this is going," groans Ino.

Monokuma throws his paws in the air and cheers, "Hope's Peak Academy's Secondary Branch is proud to present its brand new morphenomenal trial grounds!"

"Morphe-what?" frowns Yuki.

I turn quickly to Hikaru. "Hold on to the podium," I tell him.

"What?" he stammers, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Do it!" I tell him, urgently, grabbing onto the sides of mine as I glance up to see Monokuma whip a familiar key out of thin air and jam it into the circular plate device that rises from the front of his throne.

That same trilling noise from before fills the air, and there's a low hum of energy from all around. Like before, the lights in the chamber intensify a brilliant blue, and the hologram display cuts out. One-by-one, the stands begin to rise, with Hikaru yelping in surprise as his is the last to rise after Arata's empty one. The ceiling comes closer and closer, and out of the corner of my eye I can see Monokuma's throne rising upwards with us, glowing with that same blue light.

The walls seem to close in and the stands turn to face us off against each other – half on one side, half on the other. This time Hikaru is at the end of the line furthest from Monokuma, followed by Mitsu, me, Fumio, Haru, Daisuke, and Miniro, with Kimi, Yuki, Blessing, Masashi, Ino, and Yamato on the other side. Miniro is still gazing downwards, and doesn't even seem to be registering what's going on around him. Arata and Cho's empty stands are at the end of our row, with Kaori and Ayaka's at the end of the opposing row.

Monokuma raises a paw and there's the clanking of machinery as our stands lock into place, facing off against each other. I look up across the podium to face Blessing and our eyes meet for a moment, exchanging concerned looks. There's an uncertainty in her dark eyes I can see too, and as I look around at the others, I see similar expressions on all their faces, apart from Daisuke and Miniro.

He still looked nervous, of course, as his almost default look of concern knitted his brows, but there was a determination and a certainty in his demeanour that I'd never quite seen before. For a brief moment, he glanced to his side, as if hoping that Miniro would do the same, but the sailor was still frozen, immobile. Not a flicker of recognition on his chiseled face...

"Well, kids, you know the score," Monokuma says, twirling a paw in a nonchalant kind of way, "you're divided on whether or not Miniro Shirane is the dastardly culprit, and now you get to do a rapid-fire scrum debate on opposing sides! Rebut your opponents to keep things moving smoothly, and soon enough you'll come to a conclusion as a group! Ready? Good, then let's begin!"

Yamato scratches the back of his head and shifts uncomfortably. "I just think that what Kimi says makes the most sense..."

Miniro is still silent, and Daisuke looks at him again before he shakes his head in exasperation. "Just because it makes sense," he replies, "doesn't mean it's the only answer!"

"He was the only one in the room besides the two victims," Ino says with a non-committal shrug.

"Anyone else could have come into the room during the night, though," Haru points out, crossing his arms.

"Like Yamato said already, Miniro _is_ the strongest person here," Masashi says, inclining his head in the direction of the sailor. "Strangling someone to death wouldn't pose him much of a challenge."

"But that doesn't explain why would he go to the trouble of poisoning Kaori after strangling her!" Fumio rebuts.

"Is it possible that it was done to make the murder seem... _im_ possible?" Blessing suggests.

I shake my head. "But I think it's pretty impossible that he would've been able to poison Kaori in the first place."

"Couldn't he have snuck out of and got some poison during the night?" Yuki asks.

"We were all unconscious during the night, remember?" Mitsu replies. "That would have included Miniro."

Kimi sighs dramatically. "Look, there is plenty of evidence to suggest he is the culprit!"

"And there's evidence to suggest he's innocent too!" Hikaru cries. "He's not the culprit – and if we take another look I'm sure I can prove it!"

There's murmurs of curiosity from both rows, and I look up to see Miniro has raised his head slightly. Despite his expression, there seems to be a glimmer of hope in his eyes. If I wasn't before, I'm definitely certain now. I'm _certain_ he's innocent!

"Well?" Haru says, addressing Monokuma. "Seems Hikaru's left us with something leading towards a conclusion."

Monokuma seems irritated. He seems to be muttering to himself under his breath. "I wanted it to last longer. Kids these days don't appreciate how much this stuff freakin' costs..."

"Are you... having a tantrum?" Yamato frowns.

Monokuma seems to snap out of his mood and before anyone can react, he cranks the key set into the monitor in front of him.

"Byeeeeee," he cheers, waggling a paw at us. At that same moment, the podiums all unclamp themselves from where they've been locked into place, and a moment later we're plummeting downwards again, hair and clothes flapping from the force of the up draught.

Almost as soon as it's started, it's over again, and with a jolt, we come to a halt just a few feet off the ground. My stomach lurches a little as gravity takes hold and it catches up with the rest of my body, and a brief wave of nausea passes over me.

"S-so here's what I wanted to look at again," Hikaru is saying weakly as everyone recovers. He looks very pale, and the green light of the hologram display as it powers itself back on casts a sickly glow over him, making him look almost spectral.

His fingers are tapping rapidly over the screen of his ElectroID, and the hologram display starts to shift through images at breakneck speed, before it finally settles on the head-and-shoulder shots of Ayaka and Kaori.

"And what exactly is your point?" Kimi asks, still trying to regain a little composure from the descent. She struggles to untangle an earring from her hair, but doesn't take her gaze off Hikaru for a second. He seems a little uncomfortable at this scrutiny, but then he seems to shake himself out of it and waves his hand over the screen of his ElectroID, zooming in on Ayaka's neck. He holds it there for a few seconds and then repeats this action to zoom in on Kaori's. The hologram pans round slowly, showing slight gaps between the bruised areas – like the gaps between fingers...

"Look at the bruising," he says. "Don't you think it pretty much proves that Miniro couldn't have done it?"

"I still don't really understand where you're going with this, to be honest," Yuki shrugs. "In fact, you look pretty lost too, Yamato. Anyone wanna catch us dummies up?"

"Don't call me a dummy!" Yamato cries, indignantly. He folds his arms and pouts a little, before adding defensively, "It's just a lot to take in at once, okay?"

I peer closely at the images for a few seconds, trying to work out exactly what it is that Hikaru's trying to prove. Strangulation... Miniro was the only one who was _definitely_ in the room the entire night, but this proves that someone else was there, _and_ proves he's innocent... But how? Some of the others said that because Miniro was the biggest, and the strongest of all of us he could... oh!

"I've got it!" I say, nodding my understanding. "Or... at least I think I do."

"Go on then!" Daisuke pleads. He has his clenched fists pressed down against the podium. "Prove Mr Shirane's innocent!"

"Well, maybe he can prove it himself," I say. "What d'you say, Miniro?"

Miniro looks up at me, confusion on his face. "What do you mean, Kei? What do I do?"

"Just show us your hands," I reassure him, holding my own up and fanning my fingers a little in example. He still looks a little lost but he copies me, and I look round at the others. "Well?"

"Well what?!" Ino sighs. "You're dragging this out now."

"Look at his hands," I cry, pointing over at Miniro. "They're too big to have been the hands that left the bruising on their necks, right?"

The others all look at Miniro, scrutinizing his hands. Miniro's a big, burly guy, and his hands are no exception – his palms alone are probably big enough to cover my face!

"I'm not sure that's totally right," Kimi says, shaking her head, though there even seems to be an undercurrent of doubt in her tone.

"Look at the bruising," Haru says, pointing at the hologram display. "You can just make out the gaps between the fingers of whoever strangled them both. It's more obvious on Kaori's neck on the left side – could you?"

This last part is addressed to Hikaru, who nods and uses his ElectroID to rotate the image again, zooming back in on the left side of Kaori's neck. There's a short second between the screens and the hologram catching up with him, and then it's clear for all to see, exactly as Haru said.

"So by all accounts," Masashi says, brushing some invisible dust off of the sleeve of his jacket, "the culprit in question has fairly average sized hands. I'd say that definitely rules out Miniro's guilt, then."

"Average sized hands doesn't give us much to go on though, does it?" sighs Ino, raising hers. "Hardly like anyone's gonna have messed up like Cho and have 'Evil Murder Plan' scribbled on their palm, huh?"

"If only it were that simple," Yamato mutters under his breath.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Daisuke asks. "W-we know that Mr Shirane is innocent now, b-but where do we go from there?"

"There's still some evidence to consider," Haru murmurs. "But it's definitely a good starting point to consider."

"Does anyone have anything in particular they want to suggest?" Mitsu asks.

"What about the time of death?" I suggest. "We already figured it must be relevant if it wasn't on the Monokuma File."

"How would we work that out though?" Yamato asks. Then his face lights up as some realisation seems to hit him. "Oh, I bet Ayaka had a wristwatch that broke at the time she was killed or something, right? That always happens in detective shows!"

"I'm afraid real life isn't as accommodating," Haru shrugs. "Nothing as straightforward as that, but there was a couple of things that could prove useful in narrowing our timeframe down."

"Well, you seem to have a fair idea of what you're talking about," Masashi notes. "You may as well keep going."

Haru shrugs again. "Well, as Kei and I know for a fact, Kaori and Ayaka were definitely still alive just minutes before midnight last night, so we can probably place midnight as the start of our initial timeframe."

"And you can confirm this, Kei?" Masashi asks.

I nod. "I was a little out of it at the time because of Monokuma's Syndrome, but I know for a fact they were still alive. Ayaka was talking with us both."

"And it was just before midnight, like Haru says?"

"Yeah," I nod. "I can remember... we left the room and Haru helped me walk back to the Medical Wing. But I fell as we came in the door and that was when we started to all lose consciousness."

"That's right," Mitsu confirms. She frowns as she tries to recall everything. I'm trying to remember those last few moments too, but it's still a blur... "Blessing and Hikaru passed out first, I remember. And then, after Kei fell... Haru passed out too. And then..." She trails off as if something's dawned on her. Her gaze falls on me, and there's something in the way she looks at me that suddenly makes me really uncomfortable.

"And then?" echoes Ino, impatiently.

Mitsu looks away from me and her expression softens again, as if nothing had happened. "And then Kei and I both passed out too."

What the hell was that about?

Even as I think it, a memory starts to come back to me. A blurred image of those last few seconds before I passed out. It's like there's a fog blocking me from seeing it clearly, but just as it starts to lift, I'm brought back to reality.

"So you all lost consciousness pretty much simultaneously around midnight," Masashi says.

"That's right," Mitsu nods. "Which supports Haru's timeframe."

"And the furthest possible end of the timeframe would have to be just minutes before 7am when the Morning Announcement woke us up," Hikaru reasons. "That's right, isn't it?"

Haru nods his agreement. "I think so," he says. "It was a couple minutes after the Morning Announcement that we decided to go check on the others, so realistically, the latest chance anyone would have had would be right before 7am."

"So, we have a seven-hour window where they could have both been killed?" Blessing asks.

"Well, really, we can narrow it down more than that," Haru says. "There were a few pieces of evidence that we could use to shorten that timeframe considerably."

"Jeez, this is _so_ confusing," whines Yuki, tugging at her hair. "So it could be between midnight and seven am, or it could _not_ be?"

"No, it's definitely between those two times," Mitsu says. "But what Haru means is that we can try to place whether it happened closer to midnight, or closer to seven am."

"Oh, hey, that's pretty smart!" Yuki beams. "Okay, I get it! I think..."

"Don't worry, Yuki," Blessing says, reassuringly, "it's a lot to take in but I'm sure we can all stay on the same page if we concentrate."

Yuki bobs her head, enthusiastically. "For sure," she says. "Okay, I'm focused! Where d'you wanna start?"

"Well, Haru mentioned there being a few things to narrow it down," I say, running a hand through my hair, "I guess... Ayaka's body temperature could be a starting point."

"Her body temperature?" asks Miniro. He seems a little more with it now that his name's been cleared. "Oh, of course – I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that body temperature lowers a few degrees every hour after death."

"Typically, Ayaka herself would probably have had more success with working out the time of death based on a body," Masashi says, "but we can make an educated guess from that and the other relevant evidence."

"Oh, you mean the bloodstain, right?" Fumio says. "There was a bloodstain on the wall behind her, wasn't there?"

"That's right," I nod, and I take a moment scrolling through the Evidence tab to bring up the image of the wall for the others to see. "The blood had dried in a fair amount by the looks of it."

"The same as the blood from her head wound," remembers Mitsu. "It had all dried in around the crown of her head."

"So that suggests it was earlier rather than later," Hikaru murmurs, more to himself than anyone else.

"I don't think a small amount of blood would take too long to dry though," Yamato says, doubtfully. "I don't know, guys... I feel like it might be too hasty just to rely on that... For all we know she was killed like halfway through the night at this rate."

"I don't see how this is possible anyway," Kimi sighs.

"That's right," Yuki agrees, raising a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Hadn't everyone passed out at midnight anyway?"

"It's possible someone recovered before the rest of us and then killed them," Blessing points out. "And I doubt Monokuma is likely to confirm or deny such a thing?"

Upon hearing his name, Monokuma seems to perk up and he chuckles. "Oh, well, y'see... hm... lemme think about that one..."

He ponders this loudly, humming and tilting his head from side to side for a few long moments before finally he comes to a conclusion.

"You're _absolutely right!_ " he cheers. "I will _not_ confirm or deny such a thing!"

"Well, that was a tremendous waste of time," Masashi mutters.

Haru pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out an irritated breath. "Right, before things get any more off-track here, let's finish discussing the timeframe before we start jumping onto other things, alright?"

"That's a g-good idea, Mr Takezaki," Daisuke agrees. "If we c-can work out closer to the time it h-happened we might have a better idea of w-what actually _did_ happen."

"Very well," Kimi says, waving a hand dismissively. "I will not interject while we pursue this line of debate."

"Okay, so we have the body temperature and the bloodstain," Fumio says, pushing his goggles a little further up. "Was there anything else in the room that could be useful in narrowing the timeframe down?"

"Like furniture that had been moved?" Yuki suggests.

"Or perhaps the other injuries show something?" Blessing queries.

"Oh, or _Kaori_ had a wristwatch that broke when she was killed?" Yamato cries, insistently.

"Or just something that had changed from the night before?" Ino says.

"I agree with that," I say, raising a hand. "And you should know, Ino!"

She looks at me with a disgruntled expression for a split second before realisation dawns on her.

"Oh, you're right... The coffee."

"The coffee," I echo, nodding. "Or, more accurately, the stain it left on the floor."

"You're gonna have to fill the rest of us in here, y'know," Yuki says.

Ino raps her fingers off of the ElectroID in front of her for a few seconds and the displays change to show the patch of floor from the room, where the faint mark left by the spilled coffee is just visible in the tiled floor.

"I'd say that's good proof that this happened closer to midnight than the morning," Haru says. "It's pretty much all absorbed into the floor, and that would definitely have taken a while going by the amount that spilled."

"So it definitely hadn't been knocked over when you and Kei left the Room?" Mitsu asks him.

"It definitely hadn't," he confirms. His bright eyes narrow at the hologram. "Kei asked for the coffee and I went to get it while Ayaka made sure he was okay, but we decided to head back to the Medical Wing before midnight so Kei only got a few sips out of it."

"So he put it down before you left?" Masashi asks.

"No, Ayaka took it from him and placed it down by the chair."

"And you're both sure neither of you knocked it over?" Kimi asks, eyeing Haru and I with suspicion.

"I'm definitely sure," I tell her.

"Me too," Haru replies. "We both agree the coffee hadn't been spilled until _after_ we'd left the room."

"Isn't it possible that Ayaka just knocked it over by accident though?" Fumio suggests. "I mean, she did leave it on the floor. It's not totally outside the realm of possibility that she tripped on it or something, right?"

"Hey, maybe that's how she died!" Yuki gasps. "She knocked the coffee over and slipped in it and hurt her head and that killed her! Oh, jeez, that's horrible!"

"It's not as simple as that, Yuki," Mitsu says, shaking her head. "It wouldn't explain how Ayaka' body ended up where it was, and it wouldn't account for her being strangled. It certainly wouldn't explain Kaori's death either."

"Oh, I guess you're right," Yuki pouts, slumping with disappointment. "I just figured that'd be a better ending than one of us killing her, y'know?"

"I'd say it's a nice thought, but there's nothing nice about it," sighs Yamato. "It's... just a really big mess."

"We still have to decide whether it was knocked over before the killer arrived though," Miniro says. "I... I wish there had been something I could have done to prevent this."

"Please don't be too hard on yourself, Miniro," Blessing says, reassuringly. "I know it is difficult but there is really nothing any of us could have done."

"Except for perhaps not committing murder," Masashi points out, raising an eyebrow at her. She flinches and falls silent, gazing down at her ElectroID.

"There was no need for that comment, you know," Kimi tells him, coldly. "Are you alright, Blessing?"

Blessing seems rather uncomfortable at the focus shifting on her like this. "I... yes, sorry. Thank you, Kimi," she says.

"Can we... get back to the Trial now?" Ino asks.

"Yes, let's keep going," Mitsu says. "I feel like we're close to an answer here."

"Journalistic sixth sense, I suppose?" Masashi says.

"Something like that," she says with a faint smile. "But back to the matter at hand, do we have any way of confirming whether the coffee was spilled before or after the killer entered the room?"

I wipe some sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. My whole body still feels kind of gross and wobbly, and the horrible combination of tension and anxiety isn't doing me any favours. The others all seem to be in similar condition, and I realise that in a fucked-up way we're like combatants in a Coliseum – exhausted not just mentally, but physically and emotionally too... I tune back in to listen to what Kimi is saying.

"There was some kind of stain on her coat, was there not?" she says. "I remember thinking it seemed rather out of place for such a stain when Ayaka struck me as a very tidy and organised person."

"I noticed that too," I say. "I'm pretty certain it was from the coffee."

"That's what I was thinking," Haru agrees. "Hold on... there it is." The hologram shifts again to display the image of Ayaka's body – the stain on her coat clearly visible.

"I'm not sure that proves anything concrete though," sighs Yamato, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seems to me like that could've just happened when she knocked the mug over herself."

"No, that's wrong," I shake my head. "Look at the size of the stain – there's no way it'd be that big if she'd just been splashed a little by knocking it over, especially when you take into consideration the size of the stain on the floor."

"Woah, woah, woah, woah," he replies, windmilling his arms, "wanna try that again in a language I understand?"

"I see what he's getting at," Hikaru says. "If you look at how big the stain on Ayaka's coat is, it's pretty safe to say that unless she somehow managed to kick the mug a few feet in the air she would have had some difficulty getting that much coffee onto the bottom of her coat."

"Riiiiight," Yamato says, slowly, "what was the part about the stain on the floor?"

"Well, it'd have to have been a fair amount of coffee to cover that part of her coat like that," I explain. "But going by how big the stain on the floor was, and how much coffee was in the mug in the first place, I don't think it's possible. Plus, I reckon there'd be more on her trousers or shoes too, y'know?"

"Hey, I guess that makes sense," he shrugs, nodding his agreement. "I guess the Ultimate Barista's gonna have a better chance of noticing that than I am."

"Well, going by what Kei and Hikaru have said," Mitsu says, "I'm fairly confident the coffee was spilled after the culprit entered the room. And I'm now completely certain that Ayaka struggled with them."

"Ooh, now _this_ is getting exciting!" Monokuma cackles as a ripple of shock runs through the trial grounds.

"No, that would certainly make sense," Fumio agrees, rubbing his chin. "You're basing that on the stain on her coat and the head wound, right?"

"That's right," Mitsu nods. "If we go with Kei's theory that the coffee was spilled after the culprit entered the room then the only way I can see possible for Ayaka getting it on her coat is if she fell, or was pushed to the floor. I'd bet on the latter though."

"And she hit her head on the floor?" I suggest. "I guess that'd make sense..."

"No," Haru says, shaking his head. "There would've been some mark on the floor. I checked over it twice during the investigation and besides the coffee stain there were no other marks."

"So the only place there was a bloodstain was the wall behind her," Hikaru says, trying to concentrate despite the panic visible on his face. "Is it possible she was pushed onto the floor and then stood up again, and that was when the culprit pushed her against the wall and killed her?"

"That's what I was thinking," Mitsu agrees. "I'm not sure it makes total sense yet, but going by the evidence we've discovered so far that seems to be the one that fits the evidence most."

"This is a lot to process, you guys," I groan. "It seems weird for her to end up against the wall when she was on the floor, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it depends on what happened during the struggle," Masashi says, tapping his fingers off of the side of his podium. He seems to be staring into space, but he's clearly thinking about something. "Well, I think we should leave Ayaka's murder for a moment and focus our attention on Kaori's. There's some rather pressing questions I have regarding hers, and frankly I feel like there's too many variables for Ayaka's murder right now."

"That seems like a good idea," Blessing nods. "It may help us to take a step back and approach things from a different perspective."

"Well, I'll trust you guys to make the right choice," Miniro says.

"That goes for me too!" Yuki agrees.

"Alright," Haru says, "I think we've covered the time of death already. I'd say it's pretty safe to conclude they were both killed at around the same time, yes?"

"That sounds about right to me," Fumio agrees. "Either that or we're dealing with two separate culprits..."

"W-what?!" My body seems to freeze in an instant as I process Fumio's words. It looks like I'm not the only one shocked by this. Yamato, Yuki, Daisuke – hell, even Masashi and Haru seem pretty stunned at this. Fumio seems confused at our reactions but the severity of his own words suddenly dawns on him and his mouth falls open wide.

"Oh..." he manages. "Shit..."

"Two culprits..." I hear Mitsu murmur. "Two separate culprits..."

"Is that even possible?" Hikaru asks. "Surely there's a rule against that?"

"Monokuma?" Mitsu addresses the bear in question, who currently looks ready to explode with delight.

"Now _this_ is what I'm talkin' about!" he screeches, gleefully. "Fear, panic, confusion, distrust! Ooh, this is gold!" He launches into a cackling fit.

"Answer the question," Mitsu insists. Monokuma stops mid-cackle and unsheathes his claws, his red eye flashing dangerously for a few moments. But then, like whiplash, he's back to that strange childish glee all over again.

"Oh, alright, simmer down, kid!" he chides her. "There's a very simple process for dealing with a two-culprit situation, y'know? It's a first come first serve kinda deal. So, the first culprit to commit murder is the only one you all need to worry your ugly little heads about. In the off-chance that there _is_ a second culprit, then sucks to be them because they just wasted a perfectly good murder! Only the first one gets to graduate if they're successful in hiding their crime!"

"So, to clarify, when there's two killers, only the one who killed a classmate _first_ gets to graduate, while the second doesn't?" Haru asks.

"Exactly," Monokuma says. "Easy enough to remember, right?"

"But this just makes things more complicated!" whines Yuki. "It's bad enough that one of us is a killer without the possibility there's two!"

"Well, that's your burden to bear, I'm afraid," Monokuma shrugs, then begins to cackle again. "Get it? Burden to... _bear_! Ah, I crack myself up!"

"Yeah, real nice," glowers Ino. "But where do we go from here?"

Haru pinches the bridge of his nose again, clearly feeling the pressure. "We don't know for definite that there definitely are two culprits here. I think we should wait until we've looked over all the evidence before we decide whether or not it's possible that more than one person was responsible, okay?"

"I would say that seems fairly logical," Masashi agrees. "It would just turn into a complete shambles if we're constantly second guessing ourselves."

"Like we aren't already," mutters Yamato, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, this is all the information I collection from Kaori's body during the investigation," Mitsu says, her finger swiping across the screen in front of her. She looks up as the hologram display shifts to display an image of the bed in the Private Room with Kaori's body clearly visible in it.

A text window appears beside it, labelling points of interest, including the bruising round her neck, the strange puncture marks on her neck, and the discolouring of the veins on her arms.

"Well, I don't think there's any new ground to be covered with the neck bruising," Masashi says. "We're all quite in agreement that Miniro is the only one who definitely couldn't have done it?"

There's a quiet chorus of agreement from around the circle, and Masashi nods, seemingly content with this.

"Shall we talk about the discolouring of her veins then?" Blessing asks. "To darken like that is... I've never seen anything like it..."

"We briefly discussed it at the start of the Trial," Mitsu says, flipping through the pages of her notebook.

"That's right," I nod. "I think you said it was probably safe to assume some kind of poison was involved, going by the lack of toxin test on the Monokuma File, right, Mitsu?"

She nods. "It seems to be the most logical way to interpret that," she says. "Though that presents quite a few questions too."

"Like why poison someone and then strangle them?" Yuki suggests. "I've been thinking... doesn't that seem kind of weird?"

"It does seem a little excessive," Fumio agrees. "Well, of course, murdering them in the first place is just wrong, but... to go that extra length?"

"I've been wondering about that too," Hikaru admits. He rubs his chin, gazing intently at the hologram display. "Could it be that the culprit was just trying to confuse us with another potential cause of death?"

Haru's fidgeting has developed from pinching the bridge of his nose to ruffling his own hair. His eyes are shut tight, and he seems to be racking his brains now. Finally, he looks up – his already mane-like red hair jutting up wildly as he places his hands down on his podium.

"I think it was to serve that purpose," he nods, "but I think there was another reason for it too... I think the culprit was trying to hide those marks on her neck."

"What marks?" Yamato asks. "I know it says on the hologram text thingy but I don't really know what you're talking about."

"There are two puncture marks on the side of Kaori's neck," Ino explains. "I pointed them out to Kei during the investigation."

I nod, and use my own ElectroID to show a close-up image of the marks in question. The hologram display manages to filter the lighting in the image in a way that makes the marks stand out much clearer against the bruised flesh.

"Hey, yeah!" Yuki cries, pointing at the hologram. "That's pretty sneaky. I'd never have noticed that past all those bruises!"

"It's s-strange..." Daisuke stammers. "Wh-what could have l-l-left a mark like that in the first place?"

"Whatever it was made her veins darken that way, right?" Ino asks.

"And we're certain it's some kind of poison, yes?" queries Miniro.

"Oh, that reminds me," I say, "did you manage to get hold of a book on poisons and stuff, Fumio?"

Fumio nods. "Yamato and Hikaru managed to find a book in the Ward and bring it through to me so I was able to get some quick research done before the Trial. Gimme a sec..."

He pushes his goggles down over his eyes and peers at the ElectroID in front of him – his fingers dancing over the screen at a rapid pace. Moments later, the hologram and the screen displays all shift from displaying Kaori's body to what looks like a photograph of an open book.

"This is from _The Handbook of Clinical Toxicology_ ," Fumio explains, shoving his goggles back up again. "It covers a lot of stuff about different kinds of poison and venom. And it seems that what we're dealing with in this case isn't poison at all – it's venom..." He pauses for a moment. "Which... I guess would explain the puncture marks..." He stops talking, and looks round at us in clear discomfort.

"Oh..." breathes Miniro.

"But that would mean..." Hikaru trails off.

"Those puncture marks were... fangs?" Yuki realises. "But that would mean..."

"Yamato..."

* * *

 **TRIAL INTERMISSION**


	16. Chapter 02: The Second Class Trial (II)

**TRIAL RESUME**

* * *

Yamato cries out, horrified. "Wh-what?! No way!"

"Y-you were the culprit, Mr Nagai?" Daisuke asks.

"No way!" Yamato cries again. "This is... this is... this is completely stupid! I swear it wasn't me! You have to believe me! I would never do that to anyone! I could never!"

Masashi nods thoughtfully. "Using a snake as a murder weapon would be fairly inspired," he says. "And fairly easy for an Ultimate Herpetologist, to boot."

"Y-you're not listening!" Yamato yells, tears forming in his eyes. "I swear to you I didn't do this!"

Blessing sighs deeply. "I... would like to believe him, but... I just don't know what to think."

"Oh boy," Monokuma cackles from the sidelines, "are we gonna get _two_ Scrum Debates in one Trial?"

"Don't count on it," Haru says, sharply. "I'm not certain any of this is as simple as it appears."

"And what makes you think that?" Kimi asks with a dramatic sigh. "After all it has taken us a while to reach this stage of the debates."

"Yes, I know that," he snaps, "but this all seems a little too convenient. There's still some things left to discuss before we jump right into deciding who is responsible. After all, we spent enough time going over Miniro's innocence at the start that it would just be useless and repetitive to go over the same process with Yamato."

"I think Haru's right, for the record," Fumio nods. "I didn't intend on my research to distract from piecing the rest of the case together. It was just meant to help us keep going with pursuing the answer. It would be wrong to be too hasty in pinning it on Yamato straight away."

"Thanks, guys," breathes Yamato. He presses his hand to his chest and groans. "Fuck, my heart's really going..."

"Calm yourself then," Masashi instructs him. "It seems we're continuing with our debates. Of course, that doesn't immediately mean you're free of suspicion."

"Y-yeah, I understand," Yamato says. "But... I want you guys to understand that this definitely wasn't me, okay?"

"Well, we can't rush to conclusions," Kimi comments drily. "Where would you have us continue our discussion then, Haru, seeing as you've been so vocal thus far?"

Haru raises an eyebrow at her and then slides his hands back into his coat pockets. "I'm not sure if I'm honest. I feel like we still need to piece together everything that happened in the Private Room before I'll be comfortable with settling on a culprit."

"That's logical enough," Masashi nods. "Anyone else care to suggest anything that might be of use?"

"Well it strikes me there's something we've all kind of overlooked," Hikaru says. All eyes are on him now and he clears his throat a little, uncertainly glancing round at us before he continues. "Um, well... we figured the time would have to be just after midnight, right? After we all lost consciousness from Monokuma's Syndrome?"

"Yeah, so what?" Ino asks, bluntly. "Spit it out, jeez!"

"Well... if we all passed out more or less at the same time, how would the culprit have been able to get into the room, kill them both, and then back out when _they_ should have been passed out too?"

"Heck, he's right!" Miniro cries, slapping his palm to his forehead. "How did we all manage to overlook that?!"

"Could it be that we weren't all infected?" Blessing proposes. "Someone could merely have pretended to be under the influence of the Syndrome?"

"I don't think that's possible," I say. "Remember, we all passed out a few days ago after it was first released into the ventilation system, and... this is more a gut feeling than anything, but I'm pretty certain Monokuma wouldn't try to manipulate a death to that extreme where he'd make those kinds of exceptions."

"Maybe you can clarify _that_ then?" Ino says, turning her head to look at Monokuma expectantly.

"That kind of seems like a bit of a giveaway though," the bear says doubtfully. He taps a paw off his nose as he seems to consider it. "I'm a mascot character of great charisma and kindness though, so it might rack me some popularity votes, y'know? Should I present it in the form of a song?"

"Please, god, no..." I groan.

"Ugh, spoilsport!" Monokuma whines. "Fine then, I guess I can give you guys one little hint. Monokuma's Syndrome's effects are more or less the same, but the severity of the first few stages vary from person to person. What I can tell you though, is that the latest anyone should have still been able to remain conscious last night is no later than a minute or so past midnight."

"We'd pretty much figured that one out for ourselves, dammit!" snaps Yamato, slamming his fist down on the podium in front of him. "No matter what you think, this isn't a game for us! This is our lives on the line here!"

"Oh, you think appealing to my better nature's gonna save you, kiddo?" Monokuma asks, claws unsheathing. "That's cute! So cute! I could just... _tear you apart_ it's so cute!"

"N-no!" Yamato whimpers. "Um... guys... what do we..."

"That's quite enough of that," Mitsu says, glaring at Monokuma. "I think what he said was actually fairly useful."

"How so?" asks Blessing.

"Well, we'd already pretty much worked out that Kaori and Ayaka were killed just after midnight, right?" Mitsu replies. Not waiting for an answer, she continues, "But if the latest anyone could have still been conscious is no later than say two minutes past midnight, that leaves us with something else to discuss."

"Oh, I get it!" I gasp. "You mean whether the culprit committed the murders in that small window of time, or whether they found some way to remain conscious _after_ the deadline!"

"Exactly!" Mitsu says, nodding eagerly. "It's an interesting thing to consider, right?"

"It is..." Haru ponders. "And I think we might be able to settle on an answer for that one. Right, Kei?"

"Already?!" Yuki cries, incredulously. "Jeez, I think I'm still lagging a few conversations behind... Um, well, go ahead anyway!"

"Yeah, I think Haru's right," I say, fumbling through the tabs of my ElectroID. "We checked out the Chem Lab on the Second Floor and we found... this... and this."

With some manipulation of the evidence tabs, I'm able to project a display of the Epinephrine X and the Propofol bottles side-by-side. They kind of look like collectables from a video game with the way they're floating in the hologram field.

"I don't even think I can pronounce those," Miniro grunts. "What are these, Kei?"

"Well, epinephrine is a kind of adrenaline," I explain. "Though neither me nor Haru were certain what the X meant. You got any idea, Fumio?"

Fumio frowns at the floating bottle and raises a finger like he's realised something, but then he shakes his head. "Well, X is commonly used for halogens in chemistry, but in this case, I don't think that's what it means."

"It could be the Roman numeral X," Masashi suggests. "I've heard of Roman numerals being used as a numerical system to differentiate certain things."

"That's possible..." Fumio says, doubtfully. "I wouldn't like to say for definite though. It's never really a practice I've encountered personally."

"Nevertheless," Haru says, "the fact that some is missing from the bottle would suggest it's been used, or at least just taken from the bottle, wouldn't it?"

"I'd say that's fairly likely," Hikaru agrees. "How big is the bottle? Hologram isn't really too scale."

"Probably about this big..." Haru says, holding his fingers a few inches apart. Hikaru squints and then holds his own fingers up in approximation, then shrinks them down to look at how much seems to be missing from the bottle.

"I'm no expert," he says, slowly, "and, correct me if I'm wrong, Fumio, but that looks like it's probably a fairly small amount, right? Was the other bottle the same? The Propo... Propofol?"

"Propofol," I confirm. "Yeah, I'd say so."

"Hm, right... leave it with me a sec," he frowns. "I'm sure I'm onto something here. Oh, um, what exactly _is_ Propofol?"

"It's a kind of anaesthetic," Fumio says. "Fairly short-term, if I remember correctly."

"How short-term are we talking here?" asks Mitsu.

Fumio shrugs. "It's difficult to say for definite. It varies, but it usually only lasts to about a maximum of ten minutes."

"Oh!" Hikaru gasps, eyes widening. "That's it!"

"What's it?!" I ask, confused.

"That's the missing thing!" Hikaru says, excitedly. "That's why it seemed weird that Ayaka had moved from the floor to where we found her!"

"You mean..." breathes Mitsu, realisation dawning on her too now, apparently. "Oh, that would make perfect sense!"

My mind is still racing to catch up, but as I watch I see that some of the others are starting to catch on too. It's only when I stop for a second and really focus, dispelling all the other thoughts in my head, I reach a kind of clarity, and it hits me like a ton of bricks.

"The Propofol was used on Ayaka!" I realise. "She was knocked out by the anaesthetic by the culprit!"

"And that would suggest there was only _one_ culprit!" Hikaru replies, his head bobbing enthusiastically.

Blessing claps her hands like she's just caught a bug between them. "Because the amount that was taken out of the Propofol bottle looks to be equivalent to the amount that was taken from the epinephrine bottle, right?"

"Exactly!" Hikaru says. "I'd put money on it that the culprit made sure that they took enough for one dose of each of the drugs."

"That makes sense to me," Yamato shrugs. "But I just wanna remind you guys that I'm innocent, okay?"

"We'll get to that," Ino says, sharply. He winces and rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly.

Everything seems to be happening at breakneck pace now. People are bouncing theories and ideas back and forth, and the entire time I'm trying to just focus. Focus on what fits the evidence... The air feels charged with static, like a storm's about to hit. The hairs on the back of my neck are on end, despite the mist of sweat that's appeared there. This feeling... this fear. This... excitement. It's like I'm burning up... I can hear my voice from across the universe, and yet right beside me...

Kei... Kei...

"Kei, what do you think?" Hikaru is asking me. I shake my head a little to regain some focus. That knot in my stomach seems to twist, then separate, and I hold onto the sides of my podium with sweaty palms as I try and piece it all together.

I didn't even realise I was having a panic attack till it had passed...

"Um... right... yeah, sorry..." I grimace. "I think you're right, Hikaru. I think the amount from each bottle is probably enough to make a safe bet that there was one culprit."

"What I don't quite understand is why the culprit would have gone to the trouble of drugging Ayaka though," Kimi says. "Wouldn't she already have been unconscious?"

"That's a good point," Masashi nods. "What reason could they possibly have had for doing that?"

"C-could it have been that M-Ms S-Suzuki wasn't affected as strongly as the rest of us?" Daisuke suggests.

"Or could it have been like a security measure?" Yuki pipes up. "Like... y'know, with Kaori and Miniro already totally out of it from the Syndrome, Ayaka was the only one in the way."

"I agree!" I say, clicking my fingers. The oxygen seems to have returned to the room – and my brain – now, and a theory starts to formulate nearly immediately, but it's the implications of that that send me reeling, eyes wide.

"Kei, are you okay, man?" Yamato asks.

"I... yeah, I just... I just thought of something. I... I don't think Ayaka was meant to die!"

"What?!" Cries of shock and disbelief fill the trial ground, and all eyes are back on me. I feel my stand drift forwards again to take centre stage – the hologram fizzling out as I approach.

"Well, it's just a theory," I admit, "but, going from the evidence we've looked over so far, including what Monokuma said about the deadline, I think the culprit was taking an emergency precaution by bringing the anaesthetic. Think about it... we were never told for definite what would happen after someone was killed. For all we knew, the second someone died we could've all just woke back up straight away."

"Where are you going with this?" frowns Masashi.

"Sorry, I'm trying to make sense of it as I go," I admit. "Oh! Of course! Shit!"

"Is he... having a breakdown?" Ino asks, eyebrow raised.

"No, I think he's onto something," Hikaru replies, motioning for me to continue. "You think Ayaka wasn't intended as a victim at all then?"

"Well, I can't know for definite," I admit, "but the culprit would probably take it into consideration that after they committed a murder there was the possibility Monokuma would stick to his word and cure us all immediately."

"In which case, the culprit would probably get caught fairly quickly by whoever woke up first," Mitsu nods. "And Ayaka was less affected by Monokuma's Syndrome than the room's other two occupants – Kaori and Miniro. I think I see what you're getting at..."

"So Ayaka was more likely to sit up and catch them in the act, so to counteract that the culprit brought the anaesthetic and drugged her on the off-chance that we'd all have been cured immediately," Masashi says, continuing my train of thought. "That's... pretty genius, actually."

"Sorry, are you guys on some like psychic channel here?" Yuki groans. "This is all really complicated."

"Don't worry, I'd say we're getting close to the end," Haru says, cryptically. He inclines his head at me. "Go on then."

"Oh, well... we know that the mug of coffee next to the chair was spilled over," I continue, "and Ayaka definitely fell into it in a way that it splashed the bottom of her coat. But what if the Propofol wore off when she hit the floor?"

"Wouldn't she still have been unconscious from Monokuma's Syndrome though?" queries Fumio.

I shake my head. "I can't say for definite, but going by what Monokuma implied before, it's possible that the effects could have been delayed or interfered with. That's if she had even completely lost consciousness before then!"

"Shit, you're right!" gasps Ino. "It's still possible this happened like a minute after midnight, when Ayaka could still have just about been conscious."

"And the Propofol could have interfered with the Syndrome. She'd probably be fairly weak, but I'd say there's a good chance if she realised what was happening she would try to stop it."

"And that's when she'd have struggled with the culprit!" Hikaru realises.

"During which time she'd probably have quickly been overwhelmed and killed – either from her head striking the wall, or being strangled to death," Mitsu concludes. She seems to consult her notes and then taps her pen off the pages in front of her, experimentally. "I'd say that theory fits a lot of the evidence rather well, actually..."

"But what about the culprit?" Miniro frowns. "How would they still be conscious in the first place?"

"The epinephrine," Masashi replies, nodding knowingly as if all the pieces have fallen into place before his eyes. "The culprit would have taken some of the epinephrine and used it themselves to give them an adrenaline boost to counteract Monokuma's Syndrome, at least for a few minutes. It's a risky move, but evidently it worked."

"It would probably have worn off fairly quickly though," Haru says. "Between getting into the room, drugging Ayaka, killing Kaori, then struggling with and eventually killing Ayaka, and then getting away again, I'd say that's a lot of strain on a body that's already on the verge of shutting down."

"That sounds about right," Fumio nods. "Though it'd be madness to do something as careless as that in the first place!"

"The culprit must have thought it was worth the risk though," Hikaru points out. "If you think about it, it really must have seemed like the difference between life and death for them. Either they risk the adrenaline and commit a murder, or do nothing and just die..."

"You almost sound sorry for them," Kimi notes with a hint of disgust.

Hikaru shakes his head, his eyes suddenly steely as he looks back at her. "Never," he says, sharply. "Murder is murder. It's never excusable, under any circumstances."

"Well, despite the fact that we have now apparently unpacked the 'what happened' segment of the case, we still appear to be left with only one clear culprit," Kimi shrugs, looking over at Yamato. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I... I didn't. I swear!"

"We need _evidence_ ," she hisses. "You can't just expect us to believe your indignant cries, can you?"

"Oh, well, um, yes, I have an alibi!" Yamato cries. "Kei and Hikaru can prove it!"

"Is this true?" Miniro asks, looking from Hikaru to me. We exchange glances and after a moment Hikaru nods.

"Yeah, I think so," he says. "Kei and I went to find Yamato after the investigation began. He was the only one who hadn't shown up yet, so we were worried that something bad had happened to him."

"But when we got to the room he was in – Room 7 – it turned out he couldn't get out of his room," I continue. I pause as Hikaru scrolls through his ElectroID to find the evidence tab containing the broken vase and Yamato's jammed door. "We tried to barge in but it took us a couple of goes to even get the door to budge a few inches. It took the three of us to get the door open in the end – me and Hikaru pushing from outside, and Yamato pulling from inside."

"And that's something to do with this vase?" Mitsu asks.

"That's right," Hikaru nods. "The vase had been broken, and it seemed like a couple of shards had managed to get into the gap beneath the door, jamming it."

"Doesn't that seem a little convenient?" Ino grumbles, rolling her eyes skyward in irritation.

"If you really think about it, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Yamato could have broken the vase himself and then shoved a few of the shards beneath the door to create an alibi," Masashi points out.

"I don't want to suspect him," Fumio groans, "but... Masashi makes a good point. It's not really an airtight alibi."

"And then there's the fang marks on Kaori's neck," points out Miniro. "I can't see any other way they'd have wound up there."

"Wouldn't Yamato have to have physically had a venomous snake with him though?" frowns Hikaru. "I know he's the Ultimate Herpetologist, but we're talking some serious Parseltongue voodoo here for him to have got a snake to kill someone and then manage to get it to slither away without anyone noticing it."

"I admit, that is pretty unlikely," Mitsu agrees.

"He could've smuggled one in!" cries Ino. "In fact, he has! I remember he had that snake in his pocket!"

"Y-you do realise that Orochi's _way_ too small to have left fang marks like that?" Yamato stammers. "And even then, he isn't even venomous! He's a ringneck!"

"That's true," Mitsu confirms. "I did some research on snakes for an article I did a couple of years ago. It'd be impossible for Orochi to kill someone."

"Then what the heck left those fang marks on Kaori's neck?" Yuki asks. "I'm stumped, guys!"

"What if that's the point?" Hikaru murmurs. "What if they're not fang marks but we were just meant to _think_ they are?"

"You're not gonna start accusing someone of being a vampire or something, right?" Ino sighs.

Hikaru manages a small smile. "No, nothing as dramatic as that. But think about it. We know that Ayaka was drugged, and we know that the culprit used a drug too. What's the most likely way they got the venom into Kaori's system?"

"By injecting her," Haru realises. "Oh, that's clever!"

"Injection disguised as snakebite?" I ask. "That's pretty Agatha Christie, but, no, I think you're right..."

"That still doesn't prove he's innocent, y'know?" Yuki points out. "Oh, well, at least, I think it doesn't... Does it? I dunno, I just wanted to be dramatic!"

"I suppose he _is_ the person with the easiest access to venom. It wouldn't be any difficult feat taking some from his Talent Lab," Masashi says. "I'm afraid things are fairly conclusive, Yamato."

"No! Guys, seriously, you can't vote for me! It'd be the wrong decision – we'd _all_ die!" Yamato insists. Is he right? Is he definitely innocent?

Think... think... think... think... think... C'mon, Kei. You need to remember... everything... Remember everything.

Closing my eyes, I quickly rewind the events of the past day in my head: the Trial; the Investigation; the bodies; waking up; passing out; that last conversation with Ayaka; reading and reading and reading; Yamato's Lab...

That's it!

"Yamato isn't the culprit!" I announce. "I'm sure of it!"

"And why is that?" Kimi huffs. "I rather feel this is just stalling at this point."

"Not at all," I say, shaking my head. "It's true that Yamato would have access to venom, but I know for a fact that he hasn't taken any of it."

"And how do you know that?" Masashi queries.

"Because I was in Yamato's Talent Lab with him yesterday before we came back to the Medical Wing. I remember him showing me all the stuff on the shelves, _including_ the shelf that had the venom extracts on it. None of the bottles had been opened, I'm sure of it."

"Sure enough you'd stake your life, and everyone else's on it?" Masashi counters. It's like he's trying to stare me down now, but I refuse to look away now.

"Yamato isn't the culprit," I say again. "I would stake my life on it."

The trial ground is silent for several long moments and then Masashi finally breaks eye contact.

"Very well," he says. "I don't think Kamiya is particularly suicidal so I'll take his word for it. Whether I live to regret it is another matter entirely."

"Th-that still leaves us w-w-without a culprit though," Daisuke points out.

"I'm not so sure," Hikaru says, slowly. "I... feel like we're forgetting something important."

"You mean we overlooked something else?!" Yuki cries. "C'mon, guys, get it together, we're tryna catch a killer here!"

"It is a lot to process, I'm afraid," Blessing says, sadly. "It's as if we've performed a show but forgotten the show's lead."

"Well, there are two things left that are bugging me," Hikaru says, his podium drifting forwards now. "Two unanswered questions..." The hologram fizzles out like it had before when my podium had approached it. "Firstly, why the culprit chose to target whoever was in Room 1 in the first place, and secondly... who smashed the vase in the hallway?"

"Your first question I can see being relevant," Kimi says, "but the second one seems... less important, surely?"

"I don't think so," Hikaru replies as his podium slides back again. The image of the broken vase displays again, rotating slowly for all of us to see. "We forgot about it because we spent so much time going over what happened _in_ the room, but when we were looking at what had changed since the night before we forgot to ask ourselves what had changed _outside_ the room."

"Excellent point," Haru comments, seemingly impressed. "What's your theory then?"

"Well, I don't have one yet," Hikaru admits, sheepishly. "But I can't shake off this feeling that it's relevant to the case..."

"I think you're right," Mitsu agrees. "I don't remember that vase being broken last night, after all."

"Well, Kei and Haru are the last ones we know for sure that were in the corridor," Masashi notes.

"That's right," Haru nods. "The vase definitely wasn't broken when we were in the corridor of the Medical Wing before, I'm certain of it. That would've caught my attention straight away."

"It would be quite difficult to miss," Hikaru agrees.

"Didn't you guys say that Kei was kind of out of it at that point though?" Ino asks, doubtfully. "Is it possible you were too distracted with him to notice?"

"No, I'm sure of it," Haru says, shaking his head. "We walked past it twice, and it was definitely intact both times."

Suddenly, as I replay the events of last night over in my head again, a terrible pulse of realisation throbs through my head. My eyes close over and it's like time seems to stop...

We'd been overlooking so much with this case, trying to piece it together with the disconnected evidence we'd gathered that we hadn't taken the time to really _look_ over everything that had happened. Like the missing jigsaw piece falling out of the box after searching everywhere for it; or like a final bullet sliding into the chamber of a pistol – what was missing now seemed complete in my mind...

"It was you..." I murmur. For a moment after I open my eyes, it's as if time is still suspended in that single moment, but like the lurch of a rollercoaster, it catches up with me in one intense rush and the world seems to pulsate as the room comes to life again.

"Did you say something, Kei?" Yuki asks, tilting her head with child-like curiosity.

"I... I know who the culprit is," I say. "I can't think of any other person it could have possibly been."

"Don't leave us hanging, man!" Yamato cries out. "Who is it?"

But I can't bring myself to say it. Not again. I just remember how it felt during the first Trial, condemning Cho... The name burns in my throat...

"So, you've realised too, Kei," Mitsu nods. "I thought you might."

"You mean you know as well?" Miniro queries.

"They're on some spooky psychic channel, no doubt," Yuki says, knowingly, as if she's aware of some great secret nobody else is quite in on.

"Well, Kei, who's the culprit?" prompts Kimi. "I admit I'm intrigued to see who you suspect is responsible for this incident."

I let out a deep breath I didn't realise I'd been holding in, and press my hands to my face. I hadn't realised I was trembling before, but I am now. It's like that static feeling from before, travelling through my entire body from head to toe. Through the spaces between my fingers I look out at the others, who are all looking back at me expectantly.

Including him.

"Fumio," I breathe, my hands dropping back to my sides. "Fumio is the culprit."

The room falls into stunned silence for several painfully long moments.

"Wh-why would you accuse _me_ , Kei?" Fumio says, sadly. His eyes flash with anger. "I've been helping this whole time!"

"He kinda makes a good point," Yamato admits, awkwardly. "He's been trying to help since we all got infected."

"That might have been his intention to begin with," Mitsu admits, "but I don't think his actions show much success in that department."

"You suspect me too?" Fumio gasps. "This isn't fair – I haven't done anything!"

"We suspected Miniro and Yamato based on the evidence we had looked over," Ino says, "but nothing particularly incriminates Fumio."

"Th-thank you, Ino! Please, you have to believe me – I'm innocent!" Fumio cries, clasping his hands in a pleading gesture. "I don't know why you suddenly suspect me, but you're wrong. Please understand that!"

"I don't want to suspect you," I tell him, grimly. "I've said before I don't ever want to doubt my friends!"

"You're doing a damn good job of it!" Fumio cries. He looks like he's going to cry now, and suddenly I feel a flicker of doubt run through me. "Please, Kei, this isn't fair!"

"I'm sorry, Fumio," I sigh, "but... it has to be you."

"No way!" Fumio counters. "I'm not just gonna roll over like Cho did! I'm nothing like her – I'm not a murderer for starters! I'm a good person! I'm innocent, okay?!"

"You need to prove it," Masashi points out. "We can't just take your word for it at face value, can we?"

"Can anyone provide any evidence to support Fumio's innocence?" Kimi inquires. She's rapping her nails off of the podium in front of her, seemingly with agitation. The way she's looking at Fumio though... she seems convinced of his guilt.

"Haru can!" Fumio cries. "And Kei for that matter! Quick to accuse when _he_ of all people should know I couldn't have done it!"

"Wh-what?" Daisuke squeaks. "Mr K-Kamiya, is that true?"

"Yes, it is!" Fumio yells before I can reply. "He knows full well I couldn't have done it! He's trying to manipulate you all!"

"So you suspect Kei could be the culprit?" Blessing asks him. Fumio swings his head round to face her and seems flustered for a moment, but then he seems to decide on a response.

"Yes!" he snaps. "If he can suspect me for no real reason, then I think it's fair enough to suggest that _he_ has something to hide!"

"Well, ain't this one for the books?" Monokuma cackles, clapping his paws together in applause. "Seems like you guys are nearing the end, huh?"

When none of us acknowledge him, he stops applauding and fetches a set of opera glasses seemingly from out of thin air. "Hm, fine then, be that way." He brings the opera glasses up to his eyes. "I can't _wait_ to see how this turns out!"

"So you think Haru and Kei both possess evidence that proves your innocence?" Masashi asks Fumio. "And what would that be?"

"The evidence of their own eyes," Fumio replies. "Can't disprove _that_!"

"And what exactly would that evidence _be_?" sighs Kimi, waving a hand airily.

"They both saw how badly Monokuma's Syndrome had hit me last night," he says. "They had to physically help me to a room!"

"He did seem to be affected quite strongly towards the end," Haru admits. "I'd found him in a daze at the bottom of the Staircase. He seemed unable to remember anything of the whole time we'd been here."

"You said it seemed to be worse than Mitsu's memory loss," I recall. "And when you came into the Ward you asked me to help you get Fumio to a room."

"See?!" Fumio cries. "I couldn't remember a thing about the time we'd been here! Why would I just kill two people for no reason if I couldn't even remember where I was in the first place?!"

"Maybe that's just what you wanted us to think though," Haru rebuts. "It isn't totally outside the realm of possibility that you were faking just how badly you were effected."

"Why would I do that?!" roars Fumio. "That's insane!"

"Potentially risky, yes," reasons Masashi. "Insane, maybe. Impossible... not at all."

"I don't know what to think, guys!" Yuki wails. "This is pretty crazy!"

"It would be convenient if that were the case, I suppose," Miniro acknowledges, brows knitted in concentration, "but it's not exactly concrete... right?"

"See?!" Fumio says. "Nothing you guys are saying is a definite! You're clutching at straws! There's nothing to prove I even left my room once you guys took me there!"

Like a firework going off in the back of my mind, I realise he's wrong. I can see the full picture now – the complete jigsaw... A mental bullet tears through the picture with a crack. But before I can call him out, another voice cuts in front of me.

"No, that's wrong!"

Hikaru looks at Fumio and shakes his head quickly. "You're wrong," he says again. "There's one piece of evidence that proves you left your room."

Fumio laughs humorlessly. "You guys are going to some efforts to pin this on me," he says, bitterly. "Go on, you might as well tell us what you seem to think proves I'm the bad guy."

"The broken vase," I mouth, as Hikaru says the words aloud.

"That?!" Fumio splutters, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "That vase doesn't prove anything!"

"I think it does," Hikaru says, staring him down now. There's a grimness to his expression and a sense of finality. "It was bugging me during the Investigation, and I drew a sketch of the layout of the rooms."

He takes a moment to project the sketch through his ElectroID, and the hologram display quickly adjusts to show the roughly drawn layout, with each room marked with its occupants.

"I get it!" Yuki gasps. "Fumio was in the room furthest away from the room that Ayaka, Kaori, and Miniro were in, which means he had to make his way down and then back up the corridor."

"And this would be after he'd injected himself with that epinephrine, right?" Yamato says, peering at the sketch.

"I'd bet that even that wouldn't put off Monokuma's Syndrome's effects indefinitely, yeah?" Ino says. "Even if he'd killed 'em both pretty quickly, I could imagine he'd be struggling to get back to his room afterwards."

"And that's when he would have knocked the vase over!" realises Blessing. She lets out a small sigh. "That... that seems to be the only reasonable solution, I suppose..."

"I d-don't quite understand," Daisuke confesses. "How does this prove that M-Mr Nomura is the culprit?"

"Look at the layout of the rooms," Haru replies. "Me, Hikaru, Kei, Mitsu, and Blessing were all in the Main Ward, see? Then Kaori, Ayaka and Miniro are in Room 1, Yuki in Room 2, Kimi in Room 3, Masashi in Room 4, Ino in Room 5, you in Room 6, Yamato in Room 7, and then Fumio at the end of the corridor in Room 8. You can see where Hikaru's drawn the vase here between Room 7 and Room 8, yes?"

He pauses for a moment while he waits for Daisuke to respond. Daisuke manages a shaky nod. Satisfied, Haru continues.

"Well, we know the vase was smashed _after_ Kei and I left Room 1 and returned to the Main Ward. We've proved Yamato is innocent already with other evidence including Kei's testimony, so obviously it stands to reason that he didn't somehow set up the vase just to provide himself an alibi."

"So that would s-s-suggest the only person who would have knocked the v-vase over would be... the real c-culprit, right? They'd be the only person sti-still conscious!" Daisuke realises.

"And the only person," I say, pointing up at the hologram, "that would have had any need to pass by that vase is the person who was staying in Room 8."

"Fumio..." Daisuke says, quietly.

"Oh, come on!" Fumio laughs, throwing his hands up again. "You really think that's conclusive enough, huh? I won't accept it! I refuse to! I'm not letting you guys pin this on me just because you have some stupid... _fucking_ theories! What about the venom, huh? Are you guys just gonna assume I magically broke into Yamato's fucking Lab to steal stuff, hm?"

He hammers a fist down in front of him, and I half expect to hear the sound of his ElectroID break.

"Out of all of us," Kimi says, " _you_ would have had the least amount of difficulty acquiring some sort of venom using the resources of your own Lab, surely?"

"I imagine knocking something like that up wouldn't stretch the limits of the Ultimate Chemist," agrees Ino. "If anyone could do it, it'd be you."

"Plus you'd already have a fairly expert knowledge on the use of the chemicals that were taken from the Chem Lab," Haru adds.

Fumio seems completely taken aback at their statements. His mouth flaps open and shut a few times and he raises a hand in protest.

"I..." he stammers. "I... I... I-I... I d- don't..."

"I'd ask you to try and deny the possibility of that," Masashi says, drily, "but I can see from the look on your face you can't."

"I... don't... I d-"

"I think we need to look over this case from the start," Mitsu says, promptly cutting him off. "It'll ensure everyone's clear on what happened before we vote."

"Well, Kei did such an elegant job of it last time," Masashi drawls, motioning for me to speak. "Why don't you do the honours?"

I clear my throat and take a moment to take a long, deep breath. Looking round at the others, I feel Fumio's gaze burning into me as I begin to speak.

"Here's everything that happened in this case," I begin. "It all started a few days ago, when we were all infected with Monokuma's Syndrome. Things kept getting worse for us as we drew closer to the deadline, bringing us up to last night, when the culprit – Fumio – set his murder plot into motion.

"He'd spent quite some time in his Talent Lab in the basement in the days leading up to last night, and it's possible that he was returning from his Lab when he realised someone might find him. He reasoned that he could use the motive of this case – Monokuma's Syndrome – to his advantage, and pretended to be feeling the full brunt of the memory loss effects it had when he was found by Haru at the bottom of the Staircase.

"By now he'd already been to his Lab for the venom, and visited the Chem Lab to take single doses of epinephrine and Propofol to help him carry out his crime. The epinephrine was to fight off the unconsciousness caused by Monokuma's Syndrome, and the Propofol was just as a back-up plan to knock out anyone who might pose a problem.

"He allowed Haru to help him up to the Medical Wing, where I joined them and helped him into Room 8 at the end of the corridor. On the way there, he'd have overheard Haru and I discussing who was occupying each of the rooms. Once he was on his own, he could decide on his victim.

"He probably thought that killing one of the people in Room 1 would be the best course of action for his plan, as it would immediately offer two other people as likely suspects for the murder, and he couldn't guarantee for sure that someone in one of the other rooms wasn't still conscious. As midnight approached, he injected himself with the epinephrine, giving himself an adrenaline boost that would delay him losing consciousness for a short while.

"After this, he made his way to Room 1, passing the vase between Room 8 and Room 7. I don't think he knocked it over quite yet, but it doesn't matter either way.

"He entered Room 1, where Kaori and Miniro were both completely unconscious, but Ayaka was probably _just_ on the verge of passing out. To ensure this, he would have snuck up behind her and used the Propofol on her, though in the process its likely he knocked over the mug of coffee that had been left there after Haru and I had been in a short while before.

"The Propofol did its work and Ayaka passed out, landing on the floor where part of her coat landed in the coffee that spilled from the mug, staining it. With the only possible witness no longer a problem, Fumio chose his victim. He injected Kaori in the neck with the venom he'd created, and was probably just about finished when Ayaka was somehow able to regain consciousness.

"Seeing what Fumio was doing, it seems likely she got up and tried to stop him, but she'd definitely be weakened from the drug and the effects of Monokuma's Syndrome, which would have completely rendered her unconscious probably no later than a minute later, making her no competition at all for Fumio, who still had the adrenaline in his system.

"It seems like they probably struggled briefly, and Ayaka must've hurt her head off the wall in the process, and that was when Fumio would have been able to get the upper hand and strangle her to death...

"With two victims now, he probably panicked. His initial plan to have two suspects to complicate matters seemed to have fell apart, and that left him with a few options. He could frame Miniro, the only person left in the room that was still alive, or he could muddy the waters and frame someone who was in a completely different room. He knew the others were all in individual rooms like he had been, so it wouldn't be too difficult, and he decided, in the end, to do both.

"By injecting Kaori again, he was able to give the illusion of a snakebite on Kaori's neck. This paired with the weird effects of the venomous chemical he used on her would make it seem like Yamato was the killer. And with Ayaka already displaying signs that she had been strangled to death, it could look good if the same had happened to Kaori, so he did the same to her body too.

"With his plan, and its improvised extras, complete, he left Room 1. But by now he'd probably already used up a good few minutes and the epinephrine in his system would have started to wear off. Determined to get back to Room 8 to suggest he had never left, he'd have made his way back along the corridor, and I bet it was during this time when he was running out of time that he panicked and knocked over the vase between his room and Yamato's room.

"The vase hit the floor and smashed, and several pieces managed to get into the gap under the door, pretty much sealing Yamato inside till the morning. It's ironic that he went to the effort of framing him, only to end up accidentally proving his innocence...

"After that, it wouldn't be much difficulty to hide the syringes he'd have used, either throwing them out the window in his room or even just hiding them on his person.

"And that's it... I think. That's... everything I can think of that the evidence suggests happened in this case. There's no-one else it could possibly be," I conclude. "It has to be _you_ : Fumio Nomura!"

With my explanation over, the room lapses into one of those long, brooding silences again. My mouth feels bone dry after talking so much, and I can feel the rasping in my throat as I take in a few long breaths. The silence is almost like a living thing – a dangerous creature that's surrounded each and every one of us.

But like all things, the silence comes to an end, as Masashi clears his throat and turns to Monokuma.

"I think we're ready to vote," he says, simply. His words seem to hang in the air for a moment, like reality still hasn't quite decided to completely return to this terrible place. Monokuma tilts his head and chuckles.

"Well, well, well," he says, a sadistic glee dripping from every word, "isn't this exciting?"

Like he had done in the previous Trial, he raises his paw up into the air and the hologram display fizzles out with a sound like the picture on a TV going when its plug is pulled out. Just like last time, the screens change too – now showing the slot machine with several of our faces visible on each of its three slots.

Like he's just reciting a script he learned a long time ago, Monokuma clears his throat and throws his paws wide. "Ultimate students, please use the menu screen appearing on your ElectroIDs to vote for who you think is guilty for this most _heinous_ crime! And _do_ be reminded that abstaining from voting could lead to some rather unpleasant punishments, 'kay?! _Okay!_ Here... we... go!"

A lever is pulled, and a sound rings out from the screens above. Seventeen pixelated icons appear on the ElectroID in front of me – one to represent each of us. Arata, Cho, Kaori, and Ayaka's icons are greyed out, each marked with the same pink cross. A new icon for Hikaru has been added too.

It's like this is just one big game we're playing all over again. I remember this feeling all too vividly. The horrible guilt as my body trembles as I press my finger down onto the screen. Down onto Fumio's icon...

That terrible silence returns as we all await everyone else casting their votes. The screens bursting into life is almost welcome. Not quite enough though.

The slot machines are trundling along, the slots spinning round and round at breakneck pace. We watch, captivated and horrified, as the first slot stops with a thud, landing on Fumio's icon. It lights up a blood red as yet another slot thuds to a halt, revealing another icon for Fumio. This too, lights up red, and no-one dares to breathe as the third and final slot judders to a halt.

Fumio.

Three Fumios.

The screens erupt into recorded whoops and cheers for a few moments after the slots have stopped, and I find myself fighting a wave of nausea, clutching the side of my podium as the screens fade away from the slot machine back to a camera view of the trial grounds. There's a faint clapping noise from the far side of the room, and it doesn't take much guesswork to know that it's Monokuma, applauding from his throne.

"Well, well, well, never thought you guys had it in you!" he praises. "Two for two, though, guys! Fumio Nomura, the Ultimate Chemist, did in fact commit the dastardly crimes of murdering Kaori Yoshida, the Ultimate Electrician, and Ayaka Suzuki, the Ultimate Vet!"

"But... Fumio," sobs Blessing, "why would you do such a terrible thing? To our friends!"

"Don't you see?" he snarls, suddenly a towering, ominous presence at total odds with his slight, pale demeanour. "I _had_ to survive! I _had_ to! It wasn't out of selfishness, alright?! It was because _I_ could change the world! I could do more than _any of you_! Any of you..."

The way he speaks... The words seem grown up enough, but his tone... his attitude – it's like a child's who thinks they've been wrongly punished.

"What on Earth are you babbling about?" Masashi asks. But despite his flippancy, he seems... disturbed almost, by Fumio's behaviour. I can't blame him – there's something frightening about him. A change in him I'd never have imagined.

"I had to survive!" Fumio hisses again. His eyes are bulging and wide, gazing round at us with hatred and rage. "My talent... could have saved so many lives! _So many!_ " Spittle flies from his teeth as he pounds his fist off of the podium again. "Sickness. Disease. It would have meant nothing soon enough! I have a gift that would have made the world a better place! Why the hell would I just roll over and _die_ when I have so much I could do?!"

"So you figured it didn't matter that _we_ all died then?" Haru asks, coldly.

"I... had to make a choice," Fumio snaps. "It's an easy one to make when you balance it out, don't you think?"

"So, sacrifice the few to save the many, huh?" Ino laughs humourlessly. "You disgust me."

"That's my burden," Fumio replies. He seems to have calmed down slightly, but there's still something deranged in his dark eyes. "The burden of talent, don't you think, is that we find ourselves devoting our very lives to it. I devoted myself to science from the first opportunity I had. I've already done so much. And I could do so much more. I just had to _get out of here_! At first, I thought I could wait it out, y'know? Keep plodding along day by day till we got rescued. Even after Cho killed Arata I thought to myself... just keep going, Fumio, you can survive this...

"And then Monokuma gave us our next motive. A _disease_ ," he hisses the word like it tastes bad in his mouth. "And I had to think about things from a different perspective. I couldn't afford to die. Or to have my memory irreversibly altered! It was important that above all else _I_ survived! Do you see? _Do you all see?!_ "

"He's insane..." breathes Yamato. "Like... properly mad, yeah?"

"I don't think so," I say, sadly. "But I think something broke in you, Fumio. This... this isn't you."

"How would _you_ know?" Fumio spits. "You and your trivial little life, Kei? What difference would _you_ ever possibly make to the world? Invent your own brand of coffee? It's hardly on _my_ level, is it? Since we arrived here I've wanted nothing more than to leave. Oh, yes, I might've been pushed into action but don't for a second think that I regret it. I'd have helped ensure the future of the human race with my talent. Cancer, organ failure, brain damage, dementia... Given the time I'd have cured them all! I'd have done it, you know? It doesn't matter how many failures you make along the way, because at the end of it all... success will be its own reward."

"Not that it matters now," Hikaru says, once Fumio has finished his tirade.

"This is one failure I won't be recovering from, I suppose," Fumio admits. "But science can do anything. Perhaps one day they'll bring me back..." He bows his head, but I can still see the corner of his mouth as it curls into a twisted smile. "Yes, I think I can accept today's failures. I think I can just about manage that..."

"Sounds like that's my cue!" cheers Monokuma, pirouetting on his throne. "Well, now, I've prepared a very special punishment for Fumio Nomura, the Ultimate Chemist!" He dances with malicious glee as a large red button emerges from the throne in front of him. "Let's give it everything we've got – _iiiiit's Punishment Time_!"

A gavel appears, seemingly from thin air, and Monokuma hammers down on the button full force. Fumio remains motionless, head still bowed, as a pixelated Monokuma chases a similarly pixelated Fumio across the screens above our heads.

The podiums all power down with that same long whine, but I barely register it as I look over in horror to see Fumio as his podium hits the floor, only for the floor around it to just... fall away and disappear. He cries out in surprise, but the floor's already closed up again, like a trapdoor. The lights in the trial ground flare up, painfully, and Monokuma cheers as the screens flare into life with a title screen, just like what had happened when Cho had been executed. Words form in toxic green writing, before fading away to reveal...

* * *

 **The Punishment of the Ultimate Chemist**

 **Bad Medicine**

Fumio is strapped spread-eagled to an enormous circular board, like something you'd see in a circus act, illuminated with a ring of flashing bulbs. The board is spinning round, and Fumio's eyes are rolling around with dizziness already as Monokuma appears. The bear is standing about fifteen feet away from the spinning board, dressed in safety goggles and a white lab coat. He places a bag down beside him and unzips it, retrieving what looks like several large syringes from within.

He turns to face the camera and chuckles gleefully as loud music starts to blare through the room they're in. He turns to face Fumio and holds the syringe up like a dart... And then he launches it with astonishing force!

The syringe soars through the air in less than a second, and strikes into the board what could only be centimetres away from Fumio's face. There's a raucous cheer from some unseen audience, and another as Monokuma retrieves another syringe from his bag. He lines up again and throws... _Thud!_ It misses again – just an inch or so away from Fumio's right hand this time. Monokuma seems frustrated now and grabs a handful of syringes in one go...

The camera pans away from the board to show Monokuma launching syringe after syringe, and a chorus of thuds rings out. This goes on for several long seconds, with Monokuma throwing a succession of syringes at a rapid-fire rate... He finally runs out and seems to sigh with satisfaction, and then looks up at the board, his wicked grin falling and his red eye flaring with rage.

The camera pans back too, to reveal Fumio, completely surrounded by the thrown syringes, yet somehow completely unharmed by any of them. Not even one has struck him... Monokuma seems to seethe with rage and he fumbles a remote out of the pocket of his lab coat, striking down at a large red button.

The board tilts back now, and Fumio's restraints loosen, only to readjust and bind him again, pinning his arms and legs so he's completely straight. Several identically dressed Monokumas appear and lift him from the board, taking him offscreen...

And then the camera pans round again to reveal what looks like an enormous centrifuge, featuring a ring of enormous glass tubes, each one about ten feet tall. Each of the test tubes seem to be full of different coloured liquids, except one... It's this empty tube that the Monokumas – in a feat of impossible strength – launch a bound Fumio into, while the first Monokuma jabs a button in the centre of the enormous device.

Before Fumio can even react, the centrifuge fires into life, and the test-tubes start to spin in a circular motion at an impossible speed. Round and round they go, again and again, a blur of incredible colour – Fumio just barely visible in glimpses. The Monokumas scurry away, apart from the original, who watches this in fascination, head spinning as he tries to keep up with the device.

Finally, before Monokuma's head swivels completely off its shoulders, the device begins to slow, and the test-tubes rotations slowing to a halt...

But none of the test-tubes are occupied. Not anymore. In the most recently occupied tube remains nothing but a mess of blood and gore... All that remains of Fumio Nomura...

Monokuma waves to the camera like the mascot of a children's TV show, holding up a sign that reads: "Always remember to wear safety goggles."

The screen fades to black...

* * *

If Cho's execution had horrified me, this was a whole new level of fear. Screaming and crying come from all sides of the trial ground, none of us able to tear our eyes away from the screens.

"It... it fucking _pulped_ him!" Yamato screams. "How is that even... I can't..."

"I wanna go home, I wanna go home, I wanna go home," begs Yuki, bringing her hands up to cover her bulging eyes. "Don't wanna see anymore!"

Another life gone... my mind dully registers. Another one of us dead. Another victim of this... this slaughterhouse.

"Well, I'd like to see Bill Nye beat _that_!" Monokuma whoops. "That was pretty hard science, huh?!"

He looks round at us all intently like he expects a response, but words just can't express the heavy despair that had enveloped the room.

"Meh, you guys are boring!" pouts Monokuma after a few seconds. "Ah, well, I guess that's it for today. I now officially bring an end to the Second Class Trial, woo! Remember, use the elevator to get back above ground, and all the rooms will have been reset to how they were before Goggles got murdery, 'kay?"

With that, he bounds out of sight, leaving us in the dying light of the trial ground. Physically and mentally drained, I let myself fall to the floor, gazing off into space for... I don't know how long... Time doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does.

* * *

A snowstorm is raging again once we finally emerge from the concealed entrance to the elevator. Wordlessly, we fight our way through the narrow passageway to the Central Courtyard, and back towards the Castle doors.

There's little relief once we get back though. Just a feeling of emptiness. I can't even bring myself to look to any of the others for comfort. I feel like I could just start crying and never ever stop. But more than anything else I just want to switch off. I just want to stop... everything for a while.

But that'll have to wait.

"Kei..."

I had sat down on the stairs leading up towards the Common Room. I didn't think I had the strength to walk much further... The others must have all went their own ways for now – I hadn't even noticed, but I glance up to see Mitsu standing at the top of the stairs behind me. It's evening now, and the fires burning in the brackets on the walls cast a warm glow over the corridor behind her, and cast dark shadows over her face.

"Kei," she says again. I just about register it this time, and I motion for her to sit on the stair beside me. She clears her throat as if she's going to protest, but then lets out a long, deep sigh and takes a seat. I hear her reach into her bag and she lifts something bulky out of the bag. I faintly recognise it as one of the laptops from the Archive.

"Did you have that the entire time?" I ask, dully.

She shakes her head. "I just got it there. You've been sitting here for a while now..."

I don't reply.

"I wanted to ask you something," she says. "In fact, I did. Do you remember?"

I can't even think what it was. There's a memory of a memory, but nothing tangible...

"I found something with your name on it," she continues, and I hear her fingers tapping away at the laptop keyboard. She nudges me lightly. "Can you explain what this is?"

It's like she's having a conversation with someone else. I'm not really here... I'm just... on autopilot.

Or at least I am until I look at the laptop screen.

"What the hell?" I whisper.

"Can you tell me what it means, Kei?" Mitsu asks. "Can you explain why you lied?"

"Lied? I... I didn't lie. I don't know what that... is..."

I look at the picture onscreen and it's like looking into another reality. Whatever reality _this_ is, the image onscreen doesn't belong to it... Not for a single second.

"Why did you tell us you'd never been to this castle before?"

I look at the picture that can't possibly exist. It's a picture of a boy with messy red hair, wearing clothes almost identical to mine. But that can't be...

I look at Mitsu with wide eyes, and she looks back at me in confusion and concern. Then, I look back at the screen again, at my own smiling face gazing back at me...

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	17. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (I)

I lie awake most of the night, unable to switch my mind off for a second. The events of the past few days have been enough, but this latest turn of events in this crazy place – that picture of me... - it's haunting me now, if I'm honest.

There doesn't seem to be any answers to my situation written on the ceiling though, and sort of unaware that I'm even really moving, I throw back the covers and walk over to the window. I hadn't shut the curtains properly last night, and the soft glow of daylight is already appearing as the sun begins to rise in the distance.

Catching sight of my reflection in the window, I realise just how much of a toll this place is taking on me. Around my eyes have darkened from lack of sleep, and my skin looks paler than I'd ever thought it could be. I guess my body's still recovering from the aftermath of Monokuma's Syndrome. Running a hand through my hair, I'm not surprised that it's starting to get greasy.

Body aching and protesting, I shrug off last night's clothes and make my way into the shower room, letting the hot water wash over me in a way that a sense of relief just can't quite manage.

I'm still thinking about last night though. About that picture of me on the laptop. Mitsu and I had sat in the bar after she'd shown me the picture, and I'd explained to her as best as I could that I had no idea how that picture could even exist. She was skeptical at first, and I don't blame her, but eventually she seemed satisfied that I was telling her the truth.

"I'm not sure where to go from here though," she had said, refilling her glass of water carefully. I had sat across from her, gazing into my coffee, too tired to think. "I think... the best course of action for now is to keep this between us though."

"What about the others?" I asked. "Shouldn't we tell them?"

"Think it through," Mitsu sighed. "We've only just survived another Trial, and everyone's nerves are fried. Do you think dropping something like this on all of them straight away is going to end well? You'd be signing your own death warrant, Kei."

I held my hands up to my face and groaned in frustration. "I hate this," I tell her. "I hate not knowing what the hell's going on. I hate having to lie to the others. I hate this place, and I hate this fucking killing game."

"Look, you're not alone," she replied, calmly. "I believe you've told me the truth, Kei, and I'm sure the others will in time, but for now I'd like you to keep it between just us. I have a feeling there's more going on here than meets the eye."

"You mean it could be a new motive?" I gasped. "Already?"

"It's possible," Mitsu nodded, tapping her pen off the closed laptop. "In the meantime, I'm going to keep hold of this laptop. The other laptop in the Archive didn't have the picture on it, or any others for that matter, so as long as we keep it safe, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"Why are you doing this for me?" I asked her. "Isn't this putting your life in danger too?"

"Not necessarily," she replied, sipping her water. "If anything, it's keeping both of us alive. I don't want to go rushing into any assumptions for now, so I say we give things some time."

"Thank you... Mitsu," I said, looking into her eyes. "I mean it. Thank you."

* * *

Monokuma's Morning Announcement rang out just as I finished getting dressed into fresh clothes. I couldn't bring myself to pick up yesterday's laundry so without even stopping to dry my hair properly, I pull on my trainers and decide to head down to the Kitchen for breakfast.

Haru is the only other person already up and about when I get downstairs. He's sat at the usual table, fingers steepled as he gazes off into space with some intensity – as if he's suddenly taken an intense dislike of the far wall. He barely moves as I walk in, but as I draw closer he finishes his staring competition with the wall and inclines his head at me in greeting.

"You've looked better," he comments.

"Thanks," I say, trying to force a smile. It doesn't work.

"Didn't sleep?"

I shake my head. "Too much to think about," I tell him. "Just couldn't switch my head off."

"You should try meditation," he says. "It's quite useful."

I don't know why, but I never expected this from him, of all people. Clearly, this shows in my expression as he smirks a little and nods.

"I know, shocking. Hardly the type, right?"

"I don't know," I admit, "you seem like one of those super smart people who don't have time for stuff like that, I guess?"

"In a perfect world," he sighs. "Anyway, what do you suppose today has in store for us?"

"Ah, morning, you two."

Before I can answer, the doors have opened again and a few of the others start to drift in. For a second, I wait for Kaori to stroll in, wrestling with her hair, or Ayaka to appear and give us all a cordial 'good morning'. But then, of course, I snap back to reality.

Hikaru and Yuki join us at the table, while Ino and Masashi decide to head straight for the Kitchen. Moments later, Mitsu arrives too, her concerned gaze lingering on me just a second too long that I'm worried Haru's picked up on it...

"How are we all?" she asks, sitting herself down beside Yuki. "Did anyone get any sleep?"

"I... couldn't," Hikaru admits, tugging at a strand of his hair absent-mindedly. He's still wearing yesterday's clothes. "I didn't know where to go... not that I could have slept if I had known..."

"Oh, of course," Haru realises, "you don't have your own room in the Dorms."

Hikaru shakes his head. "And I couldn't face going near the Medical Wing again. Not after everything that happened there..."

"God, I'm really sorry," I say, "I should have just let you into my room again. I didn't sleep at all anyway. I didn't even think – I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, honestly," he tells me, managing a weak smile. "I could probably do with a shower though."

"You can use mine after breakfast if you like," Haru offers. "Though now I think about it, we should have some exploring to do soon enough…"

"Exploring?" Hikaru asks. "How d'you mean?"

"Oh, that's right," I nod. "We made it through another Trial so more of the Castle should open up to us now, I think."

"What a price to pay," sighs Miniro grimly, joining us at the table. He shakes his head, wearily. "I don't suppose any of you slept well either?"

There's some mumbling and shaking of heads and he nods his understanding. "It… wasn't an easy day yesterday."

"It wasn't," agrees Mitsu. "Let's hope today makes up for that."

"Maybe today we'll find a way out of this place," suggests Yuki. "If more of the castle opens up, there's more chance of finding a way out, right?"

"It's a good thought," I say, "but I don't know if Monokuma would be that clumsy. He's always been a few steps ahead of us every time."

" _And that ain't ever gonna change!_ "

A monitor switches on with a click and Monokuma's face appears onscreen. " _Thought I'd just let you shmucks know that as a reward for surviving another Trial, I've opened up more of the Castle for you all to explore and enjoy to your heart's content! Have fun exploring, kiddos!_ "

And with that he was gone again.

"Well, we saw that coming," Haru sighs, getting up from his seat. "I think I'll go ahead now and get a headstart on looking about."

"What about the others?" Yuki asks. "Should I go get 'em?"

"They probably heard over the intercom," Mitsu points out, "but it wouldn't hurt to get everyone together after we've finished exploring, like we did before."

"Common Room around lunchtime then?" Haru suggests.

"Sounds good!" Yuki says, hopping off of her seat. "I'll go let the others know!"

"I don't think I could eat right now anyway, so I think I'll take that shower before I get to looking around," Hikaru says, turning to Haru. "If you don't mind, that is."

"No, of course not," Haru shakes his head. "Let's get going."

So, abandoning breakfast, we get up from the tablet and set off out of the hall.

* * *

We notice something is different as soon as we get back into the Entrance Hall. Just inside the passageway that lead towards the stairs to the Common Room corridor, another hallway had seemingly appeared from nowhere, as if the entrance to it had just emerged from the stonework quite naturally. Even Hikaru – despite being desperate for a shower – approached the corridor with us, looking equally as confused as we did.

"I swear this place just gets stranger and stranger by the day," I murmur.

"Well, hopefully we can get out of here before it gets much stranger," Mitsu replies. "Come on, let's get looking."

"I guess I can shower later," Hikaru says, curiosity piqued. "I wonder what's through there…"

The corridor itself isn't too exciting, really. It's pretty identical to a lot of the other corridors on the upper floors, with long carpet over stone floors and suits of armour and a gallery's worth of portraits lining either side. A few doors on either side just seem to lead off into classrooms or storerooms, until we reach the very end of the corridor where we're met by a pair of heavy-looking iron doors.

Miniro does the honours, effortlessly opening the left-hand door and then we file out after him, one-by-one, snow crunching underfoot as we step out onto a long stone bridge. The snowstorm from last night has subsided, and the sky is white and empty above us, like an enormous blanket has been thrown over the Castle.

"Another outside area," Haru comments. "The geography of this place is… weird."

"I thought that myself," Miniro admits. "I didn't think that corridor was long enough to take us back outside."

"Ramparts are meant to be on the outside of a castle," Mitsu says, "but this place seems to have been designed more for aesthetics than anything else."

She was right – of course – that the bridge connected the corridor we had just came from out onto ramparts that seemed to cling to the outer walls of the castle. It was difficult to tell how far they extended though, as they seemed to disappear into mist the further off they went.

"I guess we better start walking then," I shrug, trudging off through the snow.

* * *

A minute or so in, we stop and peer over the ramparts, where we can see nothing but empty space far below us, making it impossible to say how far the fall would be from way up here… Luckily, we don't have to think about it for long though, as we turn a corner and find ourselves at the end of the walkway. In this little outcrop there's an archway, and inside the archway there are two sets of large stone steps – one leading upwards, one leading downwards.

"Any preferences?" Mitsu asks. "Or is this where we split up?"

"I'm happy to split up," Haru says. "Remember we're meeting in the Common Room later, anyway."

"I think I'd like to go check on the others before going any further," Miniro says. "I checked on Daisuke earlier but it has been a while. Please, everyone, stay safe, alright? And…" – his face seems to crumple a little – "please don't touch anything that could prove dangerous. We've… lost enough friends already."

It doesn't take a genius to realise what he's talking about. I realise that to some level he must still be dealing with his guilt from unleashing Monokuma's Syndrome when he had knocked in the Archive door. Yuki pats his arm in an attempt to comfort him, and he gives her a weak smile and pats her hand – tiny in comparison to his – before he sets off back the way we came, slowly sinking back into the mist.

"Well, I'm interested to see what's downstairs," Mitsu says. "Oh, I see Haru's taken the initiative."

I turn around on the spot and realise that Haru's already taken the stairs to elsewhere, leaving Mitsu, Hikaru, Yuki, and I.

"I didn't even notice him go," Hikaru says.

"Me neither," Yuki shrugs. "Anyways, I'm goin' up! Ding ding!"

And with that cheerful exclamation, she bounds up the stairs ahead two at a time.

"I suppose someone should keep an eye on her," Mitsu says, going up after her. "Why don't the two of you check what's down those stairs for now?"

Hikaru and I exchange glances and nod our agreement. "See you soon," I call as we start to descend. She doesn't respond.

The stairs seem to go on forever, taking us away from the pale daylight and down into gloom and shadow. There looks to be brackets in the wall that could be lit, but none of them are on, and neither of us have torches. Instead, we make do with the light from the screens of our ElectroIDs, picking our way down the steps for several long minutes with nothing but the sound of our own echoing footsteps filling our ears.

"Um, do you… mind if I ask you something?" Hikaru asks after a short while, and for a second I panic that he's going to tell me about the picture of me Mitsu had found, but instead he says, "Do you think we're going to find a way out?"

My panic quickly ebbs away, but dread is quick to replace it, and I sigh quietly for a second, glad that he can't see my expression in the eerie blue light from the ElectroIDs.

"I… want to think we will," I say, eventually. "This place… it's horrible. I hate it. I want nothing more than to be at home with my mom right now. But after yesterday I… I don't know whether I'm ready to hope."

"How do you mean?" Hikaru asks.

"I don't know how to explain it properly," I admit. "I… I'm scared it'll lull me into a false sense of security or something."

"You think someone might kill again?"

"I don't want to think that," I say. "After everything that's happened so far… I can't see how anyone could."

"But you're still afraid?"

"I just don't trust Monokuma not to give us false hope… I never expected anyone to die at all, and then Cho killed Arata. And after that I thought… I thought surely after living through that nobody would even imagine playing the killing game was a possible solution, y'know?"

"And then Fumio killed Ayaka and Kaori," he replies. "Yeah, I guess I see why you're being cautious."

"I just… feel like I'm losing my grip, Hikaru," I admit, and the rush of relief I feel from just being able to tell someone this is indescribable. "I don't know how the others are doing, or how you're doing, but I feel like everything that happens just pushes me and I'm scared I'm gonna go crazy."

Hikaru comes to a halt and grabs at my arm, turning me on the spot and holding his ElectroID up so we can see each other. His eyes are so sad… but his expression is grave.

"Listen to me," he says, "you're not going to go crazy. Thinking like that won't help you, or anyone else for that matter, okay?"

"I know you're right," I tell him, unable to hold his gaze, "but I can't help thinking-"

"Well, stop thinking," he tells me. "Stop thinking and just listen. You tried to stay strong and positive when we were all dealing with Monokuma's Syndrome, and I know the… the Trial," – he flinches – "took a lot out of everyone, but you… you can't give up now, okay? I won't let you!"

"Hikaru…" I breathe. He's still holding my arm tight, and I look up into his face again. He's smiling at me kindly, but his eyes are still… just so sad. I imagine mine don't look particularly full of life and joy either. I smile back. "Hikaru, thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," he says, loosening his grip around my arm. "Just… just don't give in, okay?"

"I'll do my best," I tell him. "For everyone's sake."

"Good," he nods approvingly. "Good to keep going?"

"Yeah. We should be near the end now, surely…"

As it turns out, we were almost at the end, and after about a minute we finally reached the bottom of the steps into a fairly small room with a single door at the far end of it. Between the two of us, we were able to heave it open, and immediately stepped back out into daylight. And onto… a lakeside?

"How the hell?"

"They hid this place well," Hikaru nods. "We've came a fair way – look!"

He's pointing upwards, and I crane my neck to see that the small room we've just came out of was actually inside the mountain. By the looks of it, the passageway and the stairs leading upwards were all carved out of the mountain too, because besides the brickwork surrounding the door we've just came through, there's no sign of a passageway curling around the outside of the snow-covered rock. The castle looms over us, dark and threatening in comparison to the empty sky.

"We're probably only a few hundred feet down," Hikaru says. "Are we still on the mountain?"

"We'd have to be," I confirm. "The mountain was huge. The only way up to the peak was by cable car, and Monokuma made sure that wasn't an option pretty successfully."

"So there's probably no way out of here either then?"

I look around at our surroundings. We're on a sloping stony beach, looking out across a small lake. It seems to be completely enclosed within a circle of rock, as the mountain extends upwards all around. The water is the colour of grey steel, but it doesn't appear to have frozen over despite the cold.

"Could be like a heated spring underneath it," Hikaru says, gingerly putting his fingers into the water. "I remember reading something about that happening in sort of volcanic places."

"Oh great, so we're on top of a volcano now, are we?" Haru's voice replies. I yelp in surprise and look around to see him approaching us from behind an outcrop of rocks. "Sorry for scaring you."

"What's the point of it, d'you think?" Hikaru asks him. "It seems like kind of a lot of effort just for… _this_." He gestures at our surroundings, frowning a little.

"Well, it's where they've put Miniro's Talent Lab for starters," Haru replies, gesturing for us to follow him. We make our way across the beach, snow and stones crunching in equal measure beneath our feet. He leads up around the rocky outcrop and gestures at a large metal door that wouldn't look out of place on a submarine. The plaque on it reads _Talent Laboratory: Ultimate Sailor_.

"Bit out of the way, isn't it?" Hikaru asks.

"I have a feeling we've barely scratched the surface of this place," Haru replies, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "There wasn't much else around here though."

"We'll need to let Miniro know," I say, turning away from the door and gazing back up at the turrets and towers of the castle up above us. "This place just… keeps leaving us with more questions than answers."

"Then let's keep going til we find some answers," Haru says, marching back across the stony beach towards the door leading back to the staircase, hands in pockets. Hikaru and I follow after him, ElectroIDs in hand as we re-enter the gloom.

* * *

After journeying back up the stairs to the small landing that lead back out onto the ramparts. After a quick breather, we turn again and take the other flight of steps leading upwards. These stairs slowly curve round until they become a complete spiral, and after a few more minutes they come to an end, opening up to a large open courtyard with a sloped glass ceiling up above, preventing the snow from falling on the grass that covers most of the ground. There's a large iron sculpture made of a bunch of concentric circles that are slowly revolving, despite the lack of any sort of breeze. Mitsu is stood in front of it, apparently inspecting something in her notebook. As she hears us, she glances up and snaps the book shut.

"Find anything interesting?" she asks.

"There's a kind of enclosed lake," Hikaru says. "I was thinking it might be on top of a hot spring or something, because it hadn't froze over."

"And Haru found Miniro's Talent Lab," I add. "Seems kind of fitting to have it down by a lake."

"Have you found anything?" Haru asks.

Mitsu shakes her head. "Not quite yet," she says. "There seems to be another couple of classrooms leading off through the archways." She gestures at three archways at each side of the courtyard. "Though, I haven't looked round all of them yet."

"Well, no time like the present," Haru says, striding across the grass away from us. "I think I'll start over here."

I'm about to suggest we split up too, but Mitsu cuts in and says, "Kei, do you mind if we have a word in private?"

I look at Hikaru, feeling a little awkward, but he just smiles and says, "Don't worry, I think I'll be okay by myself for a bit. See you both later." And with that, he disappears through another archway, leaving Mitsu and I standing by the iron sculpture, a little uncomfortably.

"Let's go through here," she says, gesturing for me to follow. We pass through the only other archway that hasn't been passed through yet. It leads into a small antechamber with a set of double doors, and beyond those doors is a corridor much like the long halls in the rest of the Castle. Mitsu pushes open a classroom door and then closes it shut behind me once I step in after her.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. "You seem kind of intense."

"I believe you're innocent," she says, hurriedly.

"I… I know, Mitsu, you told me already," I say, keeping my voice quiet. The thought of anyone overhearing us now isn't a nice one.

"No, I know that," she says, "but I'm certain you don't have anything to do with Monokuma or this place now. I… I found something."

She flips open her notebook and I wait with bated breath as she turns several pages, before settling somewhere near the middle, where she slips out a piece of white paper, which she holds out to me. Quizzically, I take it from her, and turn it over, fighting my urge to cry out in shock at…

Another photograph. Similar to the one of me in the Library. Except I'm not in this one – Mitsu is. And so is Kaori. And so is Arata. The three of them are smiling at the camera as the picture is taken in the Courtyard just outside the main entrance, dressed pretty much the same as they were the day I met them all.

"Kaori… Arata…" I murmur. "But how is that possible?"

"I don't know," Mitsu admits. "But I know for a fact I don't remember that picture being taken."

"And we can't even ask either of them now," I sigh. "This is… I don't like this, Mitsu."

"Nor do I," she says, grimly. "This puts us both in a difficult situation now."

"Did anyone else see you with it?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"Yuki's headed back," she says. "I think she wanted to check out the new floors – she seems determined to find her Talent Lab."

"So first a picture of me on the laptop in the Archive," I say, "and now a picture of you, Kaori, and Arata. Where did you find it anyway?"

"One of the classrooms down this corridor," she says. "I quickly checked the rest of the rooms this side but there was nothing else. I was going to check the other ones when you three turned up."

My gut suddenly wrenches as a worrying thought comes to me.

"What if one of the others finds more of these pictures?" I ask. "That could be bad. Really bad."

"It's possible," she says, biting her lip, "after all, I found the first one of you by accident, but this one was left out in the open. That seems a little random to me. It's difficult to work out for definite whether there could be more."

"You think there might be?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," she says. "I just wish I understood…"

"You and me both," I sigh. "Let's keep our eyes peeled anyway. If this is some motive by Monokuma it's probably best we try and keep it contained."

"Yes, that's definitely our best plan of action for now," she replies. "Shall we get back to exploring for now then?"

* * *

After leaving the classroom, we make our way back into the courtyard and cross over into one of the other archways. The corridor here is much the same as the one we've just came from, but at the end there's another large spiral staircase leading up into a tower. Once we reach the top, we find Hikaru who is inspecting a set of red double doors.

"Oh, hey, you two," he says, as we emerge at the top of the stairs. "I was just trying to find a way in through here. There's no handles or anything."

"Do you think it's a Talent Lab?" I ask. Mitsu shakes her head.

"I don't think so," she says. "All the Talent Labs so far have been marked with who they're for, and they have the same kind of locks as the Dormitory rooms with the ElectroID locks. There's none of that here."

"It's weird," Hikaru says, scratching his head. "It seems kind of important though, right?"

I take another look at the doors. They're pretty tall – maybe about ten feet tall – and more or less featureless, besides their red colour. The shade of red reminds me of Monokuma's jagged, glowing eye, and I suppress a shudder. Could this room have something to do with him?

"Well, I suppose that's a mystery for another day," Hikaru says with a shrug. "I tried pushing the walls around it and everything in case it had a hidden switch, but no such luck."

Mitsu has her ElectroID out now, and only now do I remember that they have maps of the Castle stored on them. I follow suit, and as soon as I press the Map tab, the screen changes – zooming in on my location in what was apparently the Western Tower of the Upper Castle.

"So we have the Grounds, the Main Castle, and the Upper Castle, huh?" Hikaru says, gazing at his own ElectroID. "I never thought to look out the window before, but I guess we must be pretty high up after all those stairs."

I nod absentmindedly, distracted as no label seems to be appearing to tell us what exactly the room beyond the door is. The map displayed labels for every other room of the castle we could access so far, so what was so different about this one?

I voice this concern and Mitsu looks thoughtful.

"I suppose it's possible this is somewhere the mastermind doesn't want us looking into," she says. "But hiding it just makes it stand out even more."

"Monokuma's hardly been one for subtlety so far," I point out. "Though maybe we should leave this place alone for now… it could be another trap like the Archive door."

"Possibly best not to mention it to Miniro," she agrees. "I suppose there's still plenty of places left to explore for now."

Mumbling our agreement, the three of us head back off down the spiral staircase, back towards the Upper Castle's courtyard.

After returning to the courtyard, we briefly reunite with Haru, who informs us that – weirdly enough – there's an observatory at the far end of the hall he had just been looking through, complete with a massive telescope suited for stargazing.

"I can't see why it's any use here when it's snowing most of the time," he shrugs. "I looked through the lens but its too cloudy to make anything out."

* * *

After this, we decide to return down to the Main Castle, where we end up parting ways once again. Haru and Mitsu want to investigate the parts of the Castle we already had access too, in the off chance that other areas have opened up. Meanwhile, Hikaru and I decide to head upwards to see what we can discover in the newly opened Fourth and Fifth Floors.

Like the First Floor followed a green theme, the Second Floor dark purple, and the Third Floor blue, this floor has its own colour theme too. Red carpets cover the dark wooden floors, and similarly red tapestries and wall hangings decorate the main landing, with chunky red couches facing each other occupying the centre of the room. There are several archways branching off in different directions from here, and a set of doors that lead into fairly plain bathrooms.

Hikaru and I decide to split up for now as we continue our exploration, and I pass through the archway suddenly feeling a little lonely after having been paired up with at least one of the others during our search so far.

Passing through a gallery full of strange metal sculptures inside glass cases, I find myself thinking about that picture Mitsu had shown me. That was four out of the original sixteen of us who had now appeared in pictures. Was it possible there would be more? Was it possible Mitsu and I would be able to find them before the others? It didn't feel good keeping secrets like this, but if Mitsu's right and this could save our lives, I have to keep my word for everyone's sake…

Beyond the gallery is another bunch of corridors, branching off in several directions and leading to small towers and some more outdoor areas of the Castle. I'm just starting to think about heading back and moving on to the Fifth Floor when – as I step back in from exploring the icy turrets and step back into the warmth of a tower – I discover another door that looks fairly out of place. It's a shabby, black door with a frosted glass pane, and a silver handle. The plaque to the side of it reads _Talent Laboratory: Ultimate Journalist_.

I make a mental note to say to Mitsu when I next see her, but as I take my ElectroID out of my pocket, I realise I should actually be heading back downstairs to meet with everyone in the Common Room. It's already about ten past twelve, and it'll take me a good ten minutes to get back to the Common Room from up here in the North Tower of the Fourth Floor. With the Map of my ElectroID open to guide my way, I set off.

* * *

"So you finally found your way back, huh?" Yamato says as I stumble through the entrance to the Common Room, panting a little. I had ended up running once I got back onto the Staircase, and it had taken it out of me by the time I got here. I make my apologies and slump down into my usual seat near the fireplace.

It turns out I'm the last one back, and I've already missed the others going over some of their new discoveries. Haru and Mitsu had wound up finding a new lower Dungeon had opened up. This level had a generator room and some more science labs. My thoughts briefly drifted to Fumio's Talent Lab… nobody's going to be venturing in there anytime soon. Though my attention was brought back as Mitsu and Haru continued with their recap.

"There was also a passageway that lead out to another outdoor area," Haru was saying. "Short pathway and then a separate building with a gym and a pool."

"It's ridiculous architecture," Ino sighs. "Nothing is coherent here."

"Well, that just about sums up our whole time here so far," points out Yamato, slumped back in the chair across from me with his feet up on the low coffee table. "Things don't make sense, then something horrible happens, then we find more things that don't make sense about whatever horrible thing happens, and then once that's done we get some new things that don't make sense. Least now we've got a pool."

"Yamato, that isn't a good attitude to have," Blessing says, sadly. "I know we have… went through a lot here, but to take such a defeatist attitude now…"

"It's disrespectful," Ino agrees.

"He isn't wrong though," Masashi says.

"Guys, _please_ ," I groan. "Let's not start arguing now."

The room falls into silence for a few awkward moments. Yamato and Ino exchange sulky looks. Blessing looks more apologetic. Masashi doesn't.

"So, that's everything from the lower dungeon then, yeah?" I prompt. Haru and Mitsu nod. "Okay, so what else did I miss?"

Turns out between all of us, we've covered all the new ground. We go over the new area that leads off of the Entrance Hall, and the Upper Castle containing the strange unmarked room, and the steps down to the small lake and Miniro's Talent Lab. I tell Mitsu about finding her Talent Lab up in the North Tower off of the Fourth Floor, and Blessing tells us she came across Arata's Talent Lab on the Fifth Floor.

"Seems kind of pointless, doesn't it?" sighs Masashi. "Though I suppose when they were preparing this Castle for its first set of students, they weren't expecting Monokuma to take over."

After another gloomy moment, Yuki takes over to inform us she also found Kaori's Talent Lab on the Fifth Floor, and – more excitedly – that she and Kimi had discovered a beauty salon, complete with hair and beauty equipment.

"I suppose it makes sense," Kimi says. "They would hardly have expected us to get on a cable car and traipse halfway across the country for a haircut, would they? It would be barbaric!"

I've seen a few barbaric things here, but going a fair distance for a haircut seems pretty mild in comparison. Hell, I'd shave all my hair off if it meant I could get away from this place.

"There's a ballroom too," Blessing says, happily. "Though it seems to function as a sort of discotheque too – there's machinery for switching the floors, projectors for the walls, and lots of lights and technical equipment. And a DJ booth! And there was a storeroom leading off of it full of all sorts of stuff for parties!"

"They really thought of everything, huh?" Hikaru says. "Um, well, I didn't really find any other kind of rooms, but… um… I did find something else on the Fifth Floor…"

"What did you find?" Masashi asks. Hikaru begins to fumble in the inside pocket of his jacket and my heart sinks down through the floorboards and halfway down the mountain as Mitsu and I exchange alarmed looks.

Hikaru shrugs a little as his hand withdraws from his pocket, revealing a white square of paper.

It's another picture.

He turns it over so everyone can see it.

The room falls silent…

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	18. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (II)

"H-how is that possible?" I hear Yamato gasp.

Panic-stricken, I force myself not to leap out of my seat as my gaze locks on the photo in Hikaru's hand.

"Ayaka, Fumio, and Cho…" murmurs Haru.

"Now, that's interesting, isn't it?" Masashi says softly, eyes narrowing as he inspects the photograph. "You say you found this on the Fifth Floor?"

"Y-yeah," Hikaru stammers, aware that everyone is staring at him now. "It was just lying on a desk in one of the classrooms I walked into. I wasn't sure how it could have got there."

"It has to be Monokuma," Blessing insists. "These must be some sort of forgery. Photo manipulation is not beyond him considering the other things we have witnessed in our time here."

"Hey, tha-that's right," agrees Daisuke. "N-none of us knew each other when we arrived here, so it's i-impossible that that pic-picture is real."

"What do you think, Mitsu?" Masashi asks. "You've probably seen a few fake photographs in your time."

"I hope you're not implying anything," replies Mitsu, stiffly. "I deal in the truth, Masashi."

"Of course, of course," shrugs Masashi. "Forget I asked."

I focus on the photo again – Hikaru's placed it down on the low coffee table in between the couches – and frown. Cho is standing in the middle of Fumio and Ayaka with one arm around each of them, and a wide grin splitting her face. Fumio looks a little flustered, and is smiling too – an embarrassed, though good-natured smile. Ayaka's expression is fairly neutral as it always had been, but you can see in her eyes she's happy. All three of them appear to be in one of the large halls – most likely the one that leads to the Medical Wing, based on the large pillars, and the suits of armour on plinths.

"It doesn't matter what you guys think, y'know," Monokuma says, appearing – as per usual – as if from nowhere. "But consider that photo a teaser."

"A teaser?" echoes Masashi. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"Could mean a few things," Monokuma shrugs. He hops up onto the coffee table, wriggling a little as he tries to steady himself. Yamato recoils and swings his feet off of the tabletop. "But, yeah, make of it what you will – I just figured maybe a little ongoing drama could add to the excitement."

"Haven't you done enough?" Ino snaps. "We don't need anymore of your bullshit mind games."

"Did I ever tell you guys about the first time I found a dead body?" Monokuma asks, ignoring her. "Boy, it was freaky!"

"Wh-what?" Yuki squawks.

"Oh, yeah, it was gross!" Monokuma says with relish. "All beat up and pulpy. Made a total mess of the floors, y'know? Total waste of brains, if ya ask me, but hey, what can ya do?"

"H-he's trying to freak us out," Yamato says, suddenly looking very ashen-faced. "Quit it, okay?!"

"Oh, but I haven't even got onto the _good bit_ yet!"

"I've had enough of this," Ino hisses. "I'm going." Without another word, she darts off through one of the archways at the end of the room.

"Hm, looks like Little Miss Grumpy's calling it a day," Monokuma comments. "Well, that's to be expected I guess. You've all been _so_ busy." The mock sympathy in his tone makes my blood boil.

"Are you done yet?" sighs Haru.

"For now," Monokuma shrugs. "Catch ya on the flipside, dead kids walking."

And with that, he leaps from the coffee table, scurrying off with a maniacal cackle.

"I swear everytime he shows up I just get a hundred percent more sick of this place," groans Yamato. "I'm gonna go back to my room for a while."

"Yeah, I'm way overdue a shower," Hikaru moans. "I kinda wanna check out some of those other new places but I've held off long enough – I feel gross."

"C'mon then," Haru says, getting out of his chair, "you can crash in my room for a while later if you want to catch up on some sleep too."

As the others start to trail off to do their own thing, I decide to head up to my room and get my laundry that I'd ignored earlier. Climbing up the staircase after Yamato, Hikaru, and Haru, we all suddenly come to a halt after we reach the top.

"How the heck did Monokuma manage that?!" Yamato asks, eyebrows raised.

"Did I just… miss it earlier on?" Hikaru says uncertainly.

Haru shakes his head. "Can't have. Must have been added on while we were exploring elsewhere."

There's another dormitory door now, in between the top of the staircase and Yamato's door, with a nameplate displaying 'Hikaru Okimoto'. I pull out my ElectroID and open the Map to compare, and I see now that an extra room has appeared on the Map, as if it had always been there, marked with an 8-bit Hikaru.

"Oh, yeah, I knew I forgot something! I figured you'd be hanging around at least a few days longer," Monokuma says, once again appearing as if from nowhere. "You might as well have a room while you're here."

"I feel like I should say thanks, but I'm not gonna," Hikaru mutters, pressing his ElectroID to the card reader by the door and then turning the handle. Monokuma wanders off, grumbling under his breath. We ignore him. "I guess at least that means I don't need to trouble you guys for stuff now!"

"Wasn't any trouble," I shrug, "but it'll probably be way more convenient for you in the meantime, at least!"

"Yeah, definitely," he says with a tired smile. "Anyways, I best get washed up – I think I've put it off long enough now. See you guys later."

We say our goodbyes and return to our rooms. It's been a long morning…

* * *

After taking my dirty clothes down to the Laundry Room in the Basement, I decide to check out some of the other areas of the castle I hadn't been to yet. I figure I should start with the Gym and the Swimming Pool that the others had mentioned earlier seeing as they're closest, and so I find myself taking the newly appeared set of stairs leading downwards into the Castle Dungeons.

It was… unnerving down here. That's the best way to describe it really. Toxic green flames crackle within brackets high up on the grey stone walls. The floors are bare and the clatter of my footsteps echo and ring in my ears as I look around.

There's a powerful throbbing hum from beyond a large metal door, and I peer inside to see several enormous generators and boilers hard at work. There's several thick bars – like the bars blocking the upper staircases – preventing anyone getting close to the machinery, but there does seem to be some kind of manual locking mechanism visible on the wall, though it's chained and secured pretty thoroughly. At least that means there isn't much chance of anyone interfering with the power – not that I really think anyone would.

Stepping back out of the generator room, I continue my walk along the Dungeon Corridor. There's another set of bars, sealing off another staircase leading downwards, but to the side of that is an archway leading down a side passage, and at the end of that, a heavy set of double doors that rumble and protest as I push them open wide enough for me to get through.

It's not as far below the Castle as the weird lakeside area was, but I still have to look up to see it properly. The large, block-like hedges just visible at the top of the ridge to the far side would seem to place this area close to the Maze.

It's kind of jarring looking round this place at first – it seems to be sheltered from the snow between the castle ramparts and the ridge, and some delicate looking pink and yellow flowers are just visible in the frosted pale green grass at either side of the gravel path that leads from the double doors across the glade to a particularly out of place building.

The gym and pool are inside a bright yellow, modern-looking building with plenty of steel and plastic furnishings. The doors swish quietly as I make my way around the leisure area, searching the place and taking it all in. I don't really know what I was expecting of this place to be honest. A Quidditch pitch, I guess, I think to myself with a smirk.

"You look pleased about something," a voice says, and I yelp in surprise, turning to see Miniro and Daisuke who are sitting at a plastic table next to several bulky vending machines.

"Oh, hey," I greet them, crossing over to their table but not sitting down. "Ah, nah, just having a bad sense of humour moment."

"Well, it's good to keep your humour in these tough times," Miniro says approvingly. "If we wallow for too long, it'll be much harder to keep up the fight."

"Th-that's right!" Daisuke agrees, nodding enthusiastically. "I-I was saying to Mr Shirane that we sh-should try and do something with everyone t-to-together soon!"

Despite myself, I must have looked at him in surprise because his face turned red and he gave me an embarrassed smile. "I kn-know that probably seems out of character f-for me," he says, "b-but I feel like we n-need to do something. And everyone c-co-operating will m-make it harder for Monokuma to t-turn us against one another."

"That's a really good idea, Daisuke," I nod. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

"That's what we're talking about just now," Miniro says, giving Daisuke a fond smile. "We thought maybe after how the night in the Theatre went down we could do with something a little different."

"Yeah," I agree, pretending to suddenly be fascinated with the contents of the vending machine beside us so I didn't have to meet their gaze. That horrible feeling when I think about Arata surges through me and I continue to feign interest in the vending machine while I wait on it to subside. To Daisuke's credit, he picks up on this and steers the conversation off.

"Well, there were a few o-options I had th-thought of, so we're b-brainstorming and then we're going to decide from th-there what we should do!" he says. "W-would you like to join us?"

"Oh, nah, it's fine," I say, turning back to face them now. My eyes are stinging a little but I think I've cried too much already in the past few days for any tears to force themselves out now. "I'm actually just having a wander about – I didn't get the chance to check everywhere out earlier. Come let me know if you guys want a hand with your plans though, okay?"

"Will do, Kei," Miniro says, patting my arm in what was probably meant to be a comforting way with a hand like a spade.

"Sure thing, M-Mr Kamiya," Daisuke agrees, beaming at me now. I wave goodbye to them both and set back off on my expedition.

* * *

After I've looked around the gym and the pool – and found nothing particularly significant or exciting – I decide to check out the Fifth Floor. After making my way up the Staircase, I opened the large wooden door that lead into the Fifth Floor landing, and found myself in a white marble hall. The ceilings were painted in the slate-greys and cool blues of a cloudy sky, with gold fleur-de-lis curling across it like ivy from which fat, pink cherubs danced amongst, bow-and-arrows, and small harps clutched in pudgy little hands. I wasn't sure why it seemed so out of place to see this European Renaissance kind of stuff here, especially when the castle itself seemed to follow a European design… for the most part.

Something about it seemed sinister though – it was like the cherubs were watching me as I made my way along the landing, with nothing but the clatter of my shoes on white marble as a soundtrack.

Passing through a marble archway at the far side of the landing, I find myself in a long wood-paneled corridor. It's far less creepy than the marble landing, and thankfully there aren't any weird cherubs staring at me in here. There's actually something almost welcoming about it – like the Common Room. A kind of warmth and homeliness that a lot of the rest of the Castle seems to be missing. I stick my head round doorways as I make my way along, peering into reading room and study areas. The corridors seem to intersect one another and I find myself losing track of where I am.

At the same time, I'm thankful for the peace and quiet, and time to myself. Being able to just walk around – even if it isn't especially productive – is a perfect distraction from the panic and anxiety that's been threatening to overwhelm me.

I'm still worried, of course. Those pictures are really concerning, and the implications of them are a lot to think about. Monokuma's words keep rolling in my head too. What did he mean when he said to consider the photo a teaser? Did he mean it was just the first of more? Did he even know that Mitsu and I had found two already? Once again, we were in a tough situation, but as long as we – or as long as I – keep a cool head, things should be manageable. Right?

My inner monologue is interrupted as I find myself arriving in front of a set of silver double doors. Two statues stand sentinel at either side of the doors – white marble mermaids with Monokuma faces, clutching tridents. Gingerly, I open the left-hand door and step over the threshold.

"I guess this is the ballroom," I murmur to myself, taking in my surroundings.

The room I've stepped into is an enormous, elegantly furnished place with high ceilings from which enormous white and gold candelabras hang like enormous jewel-encrusted cocoons. The pale grey stone floors have been polished so much I can just see my own reflection in them. Thick black velvet drapes are pulled over all of the walls with silver sashes, covering the windows and adding to the sort of high-class formality of the room's atmosphere. A larger curtain covers one whole end of the room, and I pull it aside to reveal a small – but thoroughly stocked – bar made of some expensive looking black wood. In the far corner is a bunch of control panels, including some kind of set up for a DJ. I'm tempted to fiddle around with some of the buttons and levers, and a few moments later there's a soft popping sound from the corner of the room as unseen speakers burble into life.

There's a small screen in front of me with a whole library of music on it, and I select something at random, only to jab the screen in a panic as a horrific explosion of death metal music suddenly tears through the ballroom. Ears throbbing, and trembling ever-so-slightly, I crank the volume down to a safe level and try selecting at random again.

This time, the music that plays is much calmer. I step back from the booth and cross over to the bar, bobbing my head a little in time to the music. The song's familiar – it's kind of soothing, but melancholy. I find myself singing the words under my breath as it plays around me:

" _Katsute no na wo kizamu sabita tetsu no doa wo…_ "

I get a little shiver as the music continues to play, and I step behind the bar to inspect its contents. There's some long-life snacks in the cupboards, and plenty of mixtures for drinks and stuff. There's actually some drink taps and optics set up as well, and I'm pretty shocked to see there's actually alcoholic stuff here. That seems kind of inappropriate, even in a place like this. I pick up a bottle of some amber coloured liquid and gape at the percentage labelled on the side of it.

"Never been drunk, Barista Boy?" a sadly all too familiar voice pipes up from nearby. There's a sound like a needle scratching a record and the music I was listening to cuts out. I look over to the DJ's booth to see Monokuma, paws flailing across the various control panels in front of him.

"A couple of times," I admit, a little sheepishly. I don't hasten to add that these two occasions had been at a New Year celebration and a family wedding.

"Yeah, I bet, kid," Monokuma says, sarcastically. "Hey, maybe if you drink something in there you'll loosen up a little." Suddenly, he's all mock sympathy and sadness. "You're a little too highly strung these days, Kei. You used to be cool, man."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Are you actually encouraging me to get drunk? Aren't you meant to be a Headmaster or something?"

"And shouldn't it be part of a Headmaster's duties to ensure that his pupils are all drinking responsibly?" Monokuma replies, still fidgeting with the controls in front of him. "I mean, I'm not _much_ of a drinker myself – just a martini or three for breakfast, then a dozen or so more throughout the day. The Western world swears by it, y'know? I'm considering setting up a school branch out there – those Europeans sure know how to party!"

"Isn't it bad enough that we have to deal with you?" I sigh, ducking back under the bar to see what else there is. There's some non-alcoholic wine and prosecco, and beers too, all labelled clearly to ensure they aren't mixed up with the proper stuff. I wonder if the alcohol was meant to be for teachers during holidays and weekends. I suppose if you're here most of the year you'd want a glass of wine every now and again.

I find myself trying to remember what day it is. Usually on Saturday nights, my mom meets up with a few of her friends and they share a few bottles of wine and catch each other up on the happenings of the week. It's a nice thought that somewhere across the country, my mom might be winding down to shut the café for the night and getting ready to go meet up with her friends. Of course, it hurts a little too in that homesick way that seems to give my heart pins and needles.

Unfortunately, I'm brought back into whatever reality I now exist in by Monokuma as he throws his paws up in a dramatic flourish. Eerie electronic music begins to play – scratchy and discordant – and I wince and cover my ears as he cranks the volume up with a jab of his paw. The music is building in intensity now, and a pounding bass like a heartbeat seems to shake the room. I decide I can't bear it any longer, and I run for the door – fingers jammed in my ears. The chandeliers are trembling from their fixtures, and the entire room seems to be moving as I throw myself against the door and wrench at the handle.

I look back in for a split second before I pull the door closed behind me to see Monokuma dancing frantically on top of the bar, cackling manically as he waves his paws and shimmies his round body.

But when the door is closed, all falls silent, and I slide down the wall across the corridor with a great sigh, trying to erase the image of Monokuma's dance from my mind. Among the traumas I've experienced so far, that ranks pretty high up there…

* * *

I'm pretty pleased to see that everyone's gathered for dinner that night. We're all still a little subdued after yesterday, but between exploring the new areas of the Castle, and pondering over the mysteries posed by the picture Hikaru had found, we've all managed to keep our minds more or less occupied.

Still, it's a relief to just be sat around with everyone in relative peace for a while. Whether it's because everyone's tired, or just making an extra effort, there's no drama. No shouting or bickering at all. The closest to it is Masashi and Kimi rolling their eyes when one of Hikaru's bobby pins falls out and lands on his plate with a clatter. He looks round at us with an embarrassed smile and cleans off the curry sauce its landed in before tucking the pin into the pocket of his shirt.

After dinner we all sit around for a while and just talk. For once, it's about nothing in particular – just a sort of normal chat. At first it feels kind of forced, as if we can't quite remember how to just act like normal teenagers, but soon enough conversation comes naturally, and it feels like we all get to know each other a little more.

After about an hour, everyone gets ready to settle down for the night. Daisuke and Miniro volunteer to clean up, and Yuki decides to stick around to help them out. Meanwhile, Mitsu announces she's going up to her Lab and she'll see us all tomorrow, and Yamato says he's going to go to his Lab for a while before it gets too dark out.

"You got any plans before night-time?" I ask Hikaru as we make our way up the stairs to the Common Room. He shakes his head.

"I think I'm going to get an early night," he says, emphasizing this with a loud yawn. "I managed to nap for a little earlier on but I think I could do with getting a proper sleep."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," I agree. "Well, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow then."

"You look like you could do with some sleep too, Kei," he says, looking at me with concern.

I shrug. "I don't think I could if I wanted to right now," I tell him. "I might go grab a book from the Library and see if reading helps me nod off."

"If you're sure," he says. He still looks pretty worried. By now, we've reached the Dormitories, and for a moment he stands with his hand rested against the door to his room, facing me. I don't know why he's so concerned about me, but I manage to smile at him before I bid him goodnight, and set off up the corridor for my own room.

* * *

The view outside my window fades as a new flurry of snow starts to fall on the Castle and the surrounding mountains. Alone in my room now, I find myself feeling a little lost. What should I do? Should I go to the Library and get a book like I said? Or maybe go see Mitsu? Or just roll over and try and get some sleep? It isn't even 10pm yet… Ugh… I feel useless!

In the end, I stay in bed with no motivation for doing anything. I hadn't bothered to switch a light on, so it doesn't take long til my room is swallowed up by the darkness. In a way, my thoughts are going the same way. Each day seems harder than the day that came before it…

But I can't just give up, can I?

Can I?

 _Can't you?_ , a little voice whispers in my head. _Why not? What use is delaying the inevitable, Kei?_

Before I realise it, I'm crying. A tear – hot and uncomfortable – runs down my face and I try to blink it away, but my eyes are prickly and sore with tiredness now. With a low moan I rub my hands over my eyes, and when I take them away again I can see tiny shapes bursting across my vision, clear as stars in the dark.

Not long later, the Night-time Announcement rings out.

" _Ahem, if I could have your attention, please! The time is now 10pm, and Night-time is now in effect. The Kitchen is now off limits and the doors will be closed momentarily. And with that, I wish you all good night. Sweet dreams!_ "

With a click, the monitor in the corner of the room switches off again. The screen leaves a weird sort of brown afterglow in the air, and I watch it with a kind of detached curiosity for a few moments before it fades away again and the room falls back into complete darkness.

"Tomorrow's another day, Kei," I sigh to myself, finally pulling off my clothes and climbing under the covers.

* * *

Waking up takes me a little while the next morning. Because I hadn't closed the curtains before I went to bed, I'd woke up to an eyeful of early morning sun reflecting off the snow-capped mountains, and it had taken a good five minutes for my eyes to stop feeling sore. I was certain I'd had a strange dream again last night, but as I stood under the shower and let the hot water batter down on me I couldn't seem to recall any of it. Even as I got dressed, I found myself trying my best to remember what exactly it was I'd dreamt, but nothing was coming to me.

It was only when I'd laced up my trainers and went to leave my room I realised that I hadn't heard Monokuma's Morning Announcement, but a moment later…

" _Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!_ "

So I got about eight and a half hours sleep, hm. Not bad considering what state my mind was in before I fell asleep.

I make my way downstairs, and I'm surprised to see that I'm the first one in the Dining Hall today. I decide to head down to the Kitchen and get myself some coffee. I'm a little hungry, but I'd rather wait til the others turn up.

After I've brewed myself possibly the best batch of coffee I've made in days, I sit at our usual table and just take a moment to appreciate the calmness. Things have been horrible, and hectic, and terrifying, but being here in the Dining Hall, with the smell of fresh coffee coming from my cup and the large jug I'd brought up with me, and the soft rays of the morning sun coming in from the windows high above, it's almost a picturesque moment. It's truly the most at peace I've felt in days.

I get about ten minutes more to myself, just reveling in the tranquility, before the Dining Hall doors swing open and Mitsu arrives, sitting down across from me.

"Coffee?" I ask, gesturing at the jug. I'd brought a couple spare mugs just for the early birds – I figured I could go get other stuff when more of the others showed up.

"Thank you," she nods. A few moments later, she inhales deeply and takes a sip from her steaming cup. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I did last night," I admit to her. I take a few seconds to explain my total lack of energy and she nods her understanding.

"I know how you mean," she says. "All day yesterday I felt like I had to keep myself busy or I'd just wind down completely. I think it's safe to say we're all a little deflated after the latest incident…"

"That's one way to describe it," I sigh. "Had any thoughts on the… you-know-whats?"

She glances over at the door, and then seemingly satisfied nobody is there, turns back to me. "Nothing yet," she tells me. "There's something about them I can't quite put my finger on though."

"How d'you mean?" I ask.

"It's… difficult to explain," she admits. "I think if I can get another look at the picture Hikaru found it might help though. Do you think you could get it for me?"

"Why me?" I frown.

"Because he seems to like you," she shrugs. "I mean, he seems to get on well with everyone, but he seems particularly fond of you."

"Yeah, well, you set that up pretty well, didn't you?" I say, teasingly. Credit to her though, she almost seems convincing in the way she acts surprised at this.

"I don't know what you mean," she says. "I guess you two have just hit it off." She shrugs and takes another sip from her cup of coffee. "But, yeah, if you could get that picture for me that'd be great."

"Why don't you just ask? Isn't that a big part of being a journalist – getting the information you need?"

"And I'm getting the information by getting you to do it," she points out. "You know I trust you, Kei."

"I trust you too, Mitsu," I agree. "I'd… rather be honest with him though."

"It's your call," she shrugs. "Do what you think is best. But the less people who know, the better. For all of us."

"I guess…"

We don't have anymore time to discuss things though, as Blessing and Kimi arrive a few moments later, followed close behind by Hikaru, Yuki, and Daisuke. Soon enough, Yamato, Masashi, Ino, Haru, and Miniro all arrive too, and eventually, the twelve of us are settling down to breakfast.

Everyone is definitely in higher spirits today, and it makes me feel a little better too. I'd had my doubts and my concerns but right now it really seemed like we were all falling back into some sort of sense of harmony.

And then Monokuma arrived.

"Morning, brats!" he says, happily. "Just thought I'd let you all know I'm having a special assembly in the Entrance Hall in an hour."

"I don't like the sound of this," grimaces Yamato.

"Oh, don't worry," Monokuma chuckles, "I think you'll all be pretty interested in what I have in store for you!"

"Now I _really_ don't like the sound of this," Yamato replies.

"Hope you don't choke to death on breakfast," Monokuma snaps at him, before waddling away. We can still hear him muttering to himself as he disappears through the ajar Dining Hall doors leading out to the Entrance Hall.

"Well, that's certainly put a downer on things," groans Miniro.

"And here was me thinking we might get at least a few days of peace and quiet," sighs Yuki, jabbing glumly at the fried egg in front of her.

"As if Monokuma would let us have things that easy," Ino grumbles. "That's one way to kill my appetite, I guess."

"If he's looking forward to it, I'm definitely not," I say. "It can only mean bad news for us."

"No disagreement here, man," Yamato nods. "But I guess we're just gonna end up getting punished if we don't turn up, huh?"

"Sounds about right," Haru agrees. He's already finished eating, and is flicking through his ElectroID with a sort of vague interest. "At least we have an hour to prepare ourselves."

"It does not help that we don't know what to prepare for," Kimi says, glaring at him. "What do you recommend?"

"I recommend we prepare for the worst," Haru says, calmly. He looks round at us with that intense, burning gaze of his. "If Monokuma has his way, we're not going to feel too brave after this assembly."

* * *

After breakfast, I try and keep myself distracted, taking on cleaning up duty with Ino and Hikaru. Even Ino seems to be a little less abrasive than usual, and we get on with clearing the Kitchen fairly quickly. By the time we're done, we still have twenty minutes before Monokuma's morning assembly.

As we make our way back up the stairs to the Dining Hall, I think about what Mitsu had asked of me earlier that morning. But how do I even go about it? I told her I wanted to be honest with him, but would that only endanger him? The more I think about it, the more I feel guilty about not just telling everyone the truth, but Mitsu trusts me… and I trust her too. It would've been easy for her to have shown that first picture to everyone and turn them all against me, and it would've been even easier for her to hide the picture she found of herself…

"Kei?"

I flinch a little and look round to see Hikaru looking at me expectantly. I hadn't even realised I'd stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Oh… sorry, I was miles away… what's up?"

"I asked if you were okay," he say with a small smile. "You looked a little out of it."

"Ah, yeah, sorry," I say again, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "Lots to think about, I guess."

"I know how you mean," he sighs. "I'm still trying to… y'know, come to terms with everything. Yesterday was the closest to a peaceful day I've had since I arrived… I've been worried that it was just a calm before the storm kinda thing, y'know?"

"Sounds about right," Ino says, sitting down at the table again and sighing. She fidgets with the ribbon in her hair in irritation. Hikaru offers her a bobby pin from his pocket.

"This isn't the one you dropped on your plate last night, is it?" she asks, warily. He laughs.

"No, don't worry," he reassures her. "I always have a few spares. My hair gets kind of annoying sometimes so it helps to be prepared."

"Oh, well, thanks," she murmurs, taking the bobby pin from him and fiddling about at the back of her head with it. Seemingly satisfied, she readjusts her ribbon and then begins to tap her fingers on the tabletop, agitatedly. "So how long have we got?"

"About fifteen minutes still," Hikaru sighs.

"Well, sit down or something then," she snaps at us. "You're both stressing me out just standing there like you're lost."

I decide it's safer not to argue, and take a seat at the opposite side of the table. Hikaru does the same, and our wait begins…

* * *

Just under quarter of an hour later, we make our way through the double doors into the Entrance Hall, to find the others all arriving from the various passageways that lead off to the rest of the Castle.

"Good timing," Yamato comments, shaking some snow out of his green hair. He sticks a hand into his coat and withdraws Orochi. "How you holding up, lil buddy?"

"Oh, do you _have_ to do that?" Kimi groans in disgust.

"I'm just talking to him," Yamato replies, indignantly. "What's it matter?"

"It matters that we are all anxious enough as it is without you waving that thing about," she snaps. Yamato looks ready to retort when a fanfare blasts through the intercoms.

"Ah, nobody's been tardy to the party!" cheers Monokuma, doing his usual act of seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Damn shame, I was looking forward to writing up detention slips."

"What do you want?" sighs Haru. "Can we just get this over with?"

"C'mon, kids, haven't you got into the swing of things yet? Ain't it obvious?"

That familiar little remote appears in his paw and with a swift jab, and with a mechanical whine the large screen lowers itself from the ceiling again. I feel my heart sinking as the screen powers on. And I'm not the only one. From behind me I hear Yamato swear quietly, and a few of the others' breath catching as the countdown reaches zero.

"Motive Time!" cackles Monokuma, as the screen changes to show the same graphic of a group of cheering Monokumas in front of the banner emblazoned with 'Motive Time'. And just as before, cheering and applause erupts from the speakers before cutting out abruptly with a press of Monokuma's remote.

"I racked my cute lil' old brain for hours," Monokuma informs us, "and I think I've come up with a doozy of a motive, kiddos!"

"Get on with it!" snaps Masashi.

"Ugh, you guys have _no_ appreciation for dramatic flair," Monokuma sighs. "Okay, well… you're all familiar with the principle of Buy One Get One Free, right?"

"Y-yeaaaaah?" Yuki replies, eyeing the bear with suspicion.

"Well, this is something similar," he says. "This motive is something I like to call… _dun-da-da-daaaaah_!"

He gestures at the screen above him where five words have appeared in child-like crayon writing:

 _'Kill One, Get One Freed!'_

"Kill One, Get One Freed?" reads Hikaru.

"And what, pray tell, is _that_ supposed to mean?" Kimi asks, pointing at the screen with a manicured talon.

"Well, if you shut up and let me get a word in edgewise, I might be able to explain!" Monokuma says. "Jeez, you kids are so arrogant. Love the sound of your own voices too much. _Anyway!_ Kill One, Get One Freed is super simple! You know the normal rules of the killing game: kill someone and get away with it and you get to go free? Well, this time I'm upping the stakes!

"For the next seventy-two hours, the Kill One, Get One Freed rule is in effect. If one of you little potential psychos kills someone, we do things as normal, with a Class Trial. _But_ , in our extra special super twist, if the culprit is successful in hiding their crime, they'll get to choose _one other student_ who'll be allowed to leave this Castle with them."

"One other student?"

"Yup!" Monokuma says, cheerfully. "The culprit and a student of their choosing gets to leave this place together! You can use this to your advantage and get yourself an accomplice, or just do it yourself and surprise your pal after the Trial! Oh, yes, it's gonna be a fun few days in this Castle!"

Monokuma throws his head back and cackles, his laughter echoing around the Entrance Hall. That all too familiar rush of anxiety and terror courses through me and I grab the wall to support me.

"Oh, y'know what," Monokuma says, "after that last motive, I've come to realise I… just _really_ can't resist a ticking clock sooo…"

He brandishes his remote again and with a jab of a button, the large screen changes to display a red digital timer displaying:

 **72:00:00...**

 **71:59:59…**

 **71:59:58…**

 **71:59:57…**

"There ya go, kiddos! Tick, tock, goes the clock! _Let's see who's still alive when it reaches zero!_ " Monokuma says with sadistic relish.

He begins to laugh again, more maniacal than before. Like he knows he has us exactly where he wants us.

But nobody will give in, will they?

Not this time.

Not… this time.

Right?

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	19. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (III)

"Here we go again," sighs Haru as he slumps into his usual chair in the Common Room. I follow suit, throwing myself into the corner seat of the large couch by the fireplace. Despite the warmth coming from the hearth, I still feel like I've just dived out of an ice-cold sea.

Daisuke, Yuki, Miniro, Yamato, Blessing, and Kimi file in behind us and take their seats too, lapsing the room into silence fairly quickly. Finally, the others file in and take their seats and we all take a moment to look around at one another, expectantly.

"Well," Yamato says, finally, "after the last motive, this one should be easy."

"You really think so?" Masashi smirks.

"Well, it shouldn't be much trouble for you, at least," Yamato retorts, angrily. "You don't even like any of us, anyway."

Masashi shakes his head. "See, you aren't thinking about this clearly at all now, are you? If anything, this motive could be even deadlier than Monokuma's Syndrome."

"How do you mean?" Hikaru asks.

"Well, think about it. Some of you have been very quick to form bonds and get to know one another during the period of time we've been here," Masashi says.

"Some more than others," Yamato murmurs under his breath.

"Exactly my point," Masashi sighs, rolling his eyes. "What's to stop those alliances being put to use in regards to this motive?"

"You mean what's to stop two people working together this time round?" Yuki asks, incredulously. "But none of us would do that, right?!"

"Well, we didn't suspect Cho or Fumio to turn to murder, did we?" Kimi pointed out. "It isn't totally out of the question that under duress, someone would be swayed to take Monokuma at his word in this instance."

"There's no use thinking like that," Miniro says, shaking his head. "We need to trust one another now more than ever."

"And what if that trust is used against us?" Masashi asks.

Miniro shakes his head again. "I just… I can't believe that any of us would kill again. Not after what's happened here already. Cho and Fumio… they acted irrationally and out of desperation. But now, I think we all understand what's on the line here. I believe we can survive this. I trust all of you not to follow the same dark path that Cho and Fumio did."

For a few long moments, we all look at Miniro in varying degrees of awe. He had spoken with such determination and honesty that it had kind of thrown us all off-guard. He realises we're all staring at him and suddenly his face flushes with embarrassment.

"I… got a little carried away there, didn't I?" he murmurs. Daisuke manages to give him a reassuring pat on the arm, his face beaming with pride at his friend. If Miniro's words can stir such a powerful reaction in all of us, maybe… maybe it isn't too impossible to believe we'll be okay after all.

"Well, if that's all we're going to discuss…" Masashi says, getting up from his chair, "I think I'm going to go for a walk."

For a few more seconds, nobody seems really sure of what to do next, but finally, Mitsu rises from her chair too.

"I'll be in my Lab if anyone needs me," she says, aiming a polite nod at the rest of us as she leaves. One by one, the others trail off too, off to get on with their day.

I guess all I can do is do the same…

* * *

After wandering about by myself for an hour or so, I find myself in one of the turrets that leads off of the First Floor's West Corridor. I hadn't actually explored these smaller towers and turrets much since arriving here, so I figured now was as good a time as any.

Unfortunately, there really wasn't much to see. Just a bunch of storage rooms and reading rooms much like the ones that lead off of the rest of the halls and corridors of the Castle. There appeared to be a janitor's office inside one of the turrets, but the door was sealed, and I figured there probably wasn't much exciting in there anyway.

It was just as I was making my way back along the West Corridor towards the First Floor Landing that I found myself nearly walking straight into Masashi as we both approached a corner. Both of us cried out in alarm and stumbled back a few steps, and I managed an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that," I said. "These carpets kinda muffle footsteps, huh?"

"I suppose they do," he says, giving me a strange look. "You haven't noticed most of the rooms are soundproofed yet?" He clearly sees my look of surprise because he rolls his eyes and continues, "Well, yes, it's fairly obvious, if you think about it, isn't it?"

"It… it is?"

"Makes it easier to cover up a murder if no-one can hear you, doesn't it?"

"Oh…" I grimace. "I've… been trying not to think about it, to be honest."

"Yes, I suppose you have," he says. "You don't seem the type for it. Too bothered by what other people think of you."

"And I suppose that makes you the type?" I sigh. He shrugs.

"I'm hardly going to admit that to you either way, am I?" he says, folding his arms. "Especially since we're barely hours into a new motive."

"Are you like this with everyone?" I ask. "Like… outside of this place, I mean?"

He shrugs again. "I just see things as they are, and act accordingly. It's what earned me my Ultimate title after all."

"Come down to my bar," I say, suddenly, taking myself by my surprise as much as him. "I think it would do both of us some good."

"I… er… what do you mean?"

Oh, so I've finally surprised you, Masashi?

"I want to make coffee," I reply. "And I always prefer company."

"Well… er, if you insist," he says, looking a little confused.

* * *

So, I ended up spending some time in my Bar with Masashi. Weirdly enough, I feel like we got a little closer… somehow.

"It's an interesting place you have here," Masashi comments, inspecting the booths that line the far wall. "Wouldn't you prefer natural daylight though?"

I shrug, busying myself with the coffee machine, before I realise he can't see me. "Doesn't bother me," I call to him. "If I was in here all day then maybe it'd start to bug me. The café at home has big windows that open onto a big veranda where we have outdoor seating and stuff."

"Café Kamiya, yes," he says, nodding. "I've heard of it."

"Oh, really?" I say, raising my eyebrows in surprise. "I'm usually good at remembering faces."

"Oh, no, I've never actually been," he says, brushing back some loose strands of hair behind his ear and taking a seat on one of the bar stools. "My father used to visit when he had business in Odaiba."

"Ah, makes sense," I say, "we get a lot of business types. What is it your dad does?"

"He works for Nagachika Games," he says, though there seems to be an undercurrent of distaste in his tone.

"Nagachika Games?! No way!" I cry. "They're like one of the best video game developers in the world! I have a whole bunch of them – Dogo Paradox and Her Final Flight and Shadow Parting! And like a bunch of other ones too!"

"Yes, well… I'm rather used to hearing my father's work lauded wherever I go," he says, ruefully. Suddenly feeling a little awkward from my enthusiastic outburst, I place his coffee in front of him, made to the same specifications I'd remembered him mentioning not long after we'd arrived.

"Sorry," I say. "I didn't mean to… offend you or anything."

Masashi shakes his head and looks at me, indifferently. "Don't dwell on it. You haven't offended me. I just… don't particularly share the same love for the virtual world that my father – and most of the world – seems to."

"Oh, how come?" I ask. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

He shakes his head and takes a sip of coffee. "I'm not one for compliments, Kei, but this is rather good. No, but, it's no particular reason, to be honest. No big mystery. Not really anything to pry into. I simply just don't think any game – video or board – matches up to the beauty and complexity of a good chess game."

"Oh, of course," I realise. "Being the Ultimate Chessmaster, I guess it makes sense that anything else would feel kind of lacking in comparison."

"Ah, so you understand then," he says, simply. "Have you ever played, yourself?"

I shake my head. "I wouldn't know where to start, if I'm honest. I'm more into RPGs, y'know?"

He sighs deeply, but it seems more out of disappointment than annoyance… which is already a vast improvement from him, really.

"It's a shame," he says, "I rather hoped there might have been at least one person in this place I could have had a good game with."

"Well, obviously it'd take a miracle for me to even be the slightest challenge against you, but if you ever feel like teaching, I'd be happy to learn," I say. "I had an uncle back home who used to play chess, and he always used to tell me, 'Oh, I'll get round to teaching you one of these days, Kei', but it was just one of those things we never really got round to…"

"He's gone now?"

I nod.

"Yeah, cancer. Runs in my dad's side of the family, sadly," I say. "Sucks, huh?"

He nods. "My mother…" and then he trails off. I decide not to pry any further. Even just the smallest insight I've got into Masashi's life has changed my opinion on him a little. He seems… like maybe he isn't really always so cold once you get through that front he projects.

Masashi finishes his coffee and thanks me for it.

"You're… a strange person, Kei," he says to me as he gets up from the barstool and pulls his coat back on over his shoulders.

"What makes you say that?" I frown, picking up the mug and saucer I'd gave him, and placing them in the small sink under the counter.

"I can't quite put my finger on it," he says. "But I'm sure I will eventually."

"I'll look forward to it," I say, with a grin.

Masashi seems to absorb my reply for a few seconds before he frowns a little, then his expression softens to what could almost be a genuine smile. And then, as soon as it was there, it's gone again.

"Thank you for your time," he says, and makes his way back out of the door.

I reflect a little on my time with Masashi as I decide to sit in one of the booths, armed with another cup of coffee. He's blunt and abrasive, but it seems there's a more vulnerable side to him too. I wonder if he'll make any effort to talk to us if we get out of this place…

No, Kei, not if… when.

* * *

After finishing my coffee, and tidying up in the bar, I headed back up to my room for a while. According to the clock on my ElectroID it was only about 3.30pm, so I still had a few hours before dinner. I decide to head back out for a bit and make the most of the afternoon.

Passing down into the Common Room, I find Daisuke and Miniro sitting together again, heads bowed over a large sheet of paper that was spread across the table between them.

"Hey, you two!" I say. "You guys busy?"

"Oh, Mr Kamiya!" Daisuke beams. "H-how are you?"

"Surprisingly… not awful," I admit, to my own surprise. "I think you kind of inspired a bit of confidence in me, Miniro."

Miniro's laugh booms through the Common Room. "I must admit, I surprised myself with my words at the time, Kei. I'm glad you've found some solace in them, though!"

"It was v-very nicely put, Mr Shirane," Daisuke beams. "I th-th-think we all appreciated them, especially after the o-ordeal of the p-p-past few days."

"That's true," I nod. "I've been… kind of fighting my doubts, especially since… y'know. But, yeah, I think that your words kind of snapped me out of it a bit. We just need to believe in each other at the end of the day."

"And w-we're nearly finished with our p-plan on how to get everyone t-together!" Daisuke says, proudly. "Mr Sh-Shirane and I are just working on the fi-finishing touches!"

"Well, I won't take up any more of your time," I say, smiling at Daisuke. There's something very radiant in the way he becomes when he gets past his initial nervousness. Despite his stutter, it's clear to see that Miniro has been a grounding influence on him. Ironic that the Ultimate Sailor would become an anchor in a way. "I'm looking forward to hearing it, guys!"

"We won't disappoint!" Miniro says with a wink and a thumbs up.

"S-see you later, Mr Kamiya!" Daisuke calls after me.

* * *

After bidding Daisuke and Miniro farewell, I made my way out into the corridor towards the Entrance Hall, though I briefly found myself stopping to gaze out of the window. The afternoon sky was already darkening, and by the heavy clouds forming in the sky. Another snowstorm, no doubt.

"Ah, hello, Kei!"

I turn round to see Hikaru approaching me from the direction of the Common Room. By the looks of it, he'd went back to bed and hadn't been awake for long. Either that or his hair had gained sentience and was trying to escape from his head.

"Afternoon, sleepyhead," I laugh. "You okay?"

"Oh… it's that bad, huh?" Hikaru murmurs somewhat self-consciously as he begins smoothing down some of his wild blue hair. He fumbles with readjusting the bobby pins for a few seconds and then flourishes his hands. "That better?"

"That's a bit more like it," I laugh. "Where are you off to, anyways?"

"Off to get Yuki to shave all my hair off," he jokes. "Nah, I was just going to go up to the Library. I felt like having a look around to see if I could find a good manga. It feels like forever since I last read one! Wanna join?"

"Sounds good," I nod. "Let's go!"

* * *

And so, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Library with Hikaru, searching for manga. I feel like we definitely got closer today.

"Found anything good?" he asks as I clamber down from one of the enormous ladders used for reaching high shelves. I shake my head, disappointed.

"Just a shelf full of World Record books and some weird cookbook written in like… German or something."

"That'd be a fun experiment – seeing what you could create with that," he laughs. "I know like four words in German, and one of them is 'bathroom'."

"You ever been?" I ask, leaning over the wooden railing and gazing across the sea of bookcases below us. He gets up from where he's been squatting on the floor, rifling through the bottom shelves and joins me.

"Only once," he says. "Family holiday when I was like… twelve. How about you?"

I shake my head. "Nah, never been. We always talked about going on some big holiday at some point, but y'know how families are."

"Yeah…" he says, glumly. I decide to change the subject.

"So before you came here, what was it you were doing?" I ask. "Like not immediately before, just like, in general. Life stuff."

"Oh, right!" he laughs, fidgeting with one of his bobby pins that's come loose. "Nothing too exciting, really. I did some part-time work delivering stuff on my bike when I wasn't at school. Nothing amazing – just food deliveries and sometimes parcels and stuff. Kept me busy."

Strangely enough, it wasn't difficult to picture Hikaru like that, riding a bike through a park without a care in the world.

"So, yeah, becoming the Ultimate Unlucky Student is kind of a reality check," he continues. "I mean, I wouldn't say my luck is incredible, but it's not particularly awful either."

"I think if it were anyone else that arrived here, they'd be given that title too," I tell him. "In fact, if you think about it, we're all Ultimate Unlucky Students in this place."

"I guess so," he nods. We lapse into a comfortable silence for a minute or so before… "It's weird…" he says. "We saw two people dead, and watched someone else die… but we're still here."

I feel an unpleasant sensation in my stomach as I think about it. Kaori and Ayaka's bodies were… one thing, but actually seeing Fumio as he was… well, it was a lot to process.

"It feels a little unreal," I say. "Like they should just walk in at any moment. That was how I felt with... with Arata… and Cho."

"Seems like you and this Arata guy were friends," Hikaru says. "I'm sorry."

"Barely knew him, really," I say. "But he was the first person I met when I woke up in this place. He was nice to me. He was nice to everyone, really. And he told me about his family and stuff and I just…" I stop and sigh, realising now that I'm gripping the railing just a little too tight. "Sorry, d'you mind if we talk about something else?"

"No, of course, sorry!" Hikaru says. "I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, honestly," I tell him. "But, um… how about you? Do you feel like you're getting along with everyone alright?"

"I… I think so," he says. "I've spoken to a few of the others on a couple of occasions, but I think some of them are a little wary of me after the whole 'surprise appearance' thing. I mean, I can see where they're coming from but it's still a little… disheartening, I guess?"

"They'll come round eventually," I tell him. "We're all kinda stuck in this situation together. We need to try and see the best in one another. Kinda like what Miniro said earlier."

"Oh, yeah, that was pretty cool!" Hikaru beams. "I can see what Daisuke sees in him."

"You too?" I say, teasingly. He looks a little embarrassed for a second and then sticks his tongue out at me.

"No teasing," he says. "I just mean… he seems like a genuine person. That's always important when you're… looking for someone, right?"

"As in you've lost them or you're hoping to find them?" I ask. He gives me a playful shove on the shoulder.

"I said no teasing, Kei!" he chuckles. "Don't be a dick."

Suddenly, his laughter seems infectious, and despite my best efforts to fight it back, I find myself laughing along with him loudly. They echo around the high-ceilinged Library and for just a few blissful moments, everything feels a bit more like real life again.

After we've finished cackling at one another for a few more minutes, we get back to our search, and finally find a fairly decent manga section tucked away at the back of the fourth balcony along. Books in arms, we make our way back downstairs and along to the Common Room.

"I'm gonna go get stuck into these," Hikaru says as we clamber the stairs up to the Dormitories. "Thanks for hanging out with me today, Kei. See you at dinner, yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me tag along," I tell him. "Yeah, I'll see you then!"

And with another wide grin, he ducks into his room, out of sight. I find myself thinking back on our time spent together. He's bright and seemingly reliable – the kind of guy you'd want to have around in a crisis, or… just in general, I suppose.

It's only when I get back to my room I realise I'd completely forgot to ask him about that picture. I can already imagine Mitsu's disapproving look when she next asks me about it, and I make a mental note to try and get hold of it as soon as I can.

* * *

An hour or so later, after flipping half-heartedly through a copy of a Dogo Paradox manga tie-in, I check the time, and decide to head down for dinner. Most of the others have already arrived, and it could just be that we were all tired, or all still slightly wary of Monokuma's new motive, but the atmosphere in the Dining Hall is rather subdued.

We don't hang around long after dinner. Hikaru, Yamato, and Blessing take their turn on cleaning duty, and the rest of us file off back to our rooms for the night, so I decide to wait til tomorrow before I ask Hikaru about that picture. No use hanging around just in case anyone else overhears. But… what do I do? Do I just ask for the picture? Or do I tell him why I'm asking for it? Mitsu had told me it was my decision. She trusts my judgement. But do I?

I decide to sleep on it. For what feels like the first time in ages, sleep comes to me easily, and I slip into a deep sleep long before Monokuma's Night-Time Announcement is even due.

* * *

The next morning, I'm up bright and early, feeling more lively than I have in days. After showering and getting dressed, I take the time to take my unwashed clothes down to the Laundry Room in the Basement, and once I've done that, with that weird sense of achievement you get after finishing the smallest task. I make my way back up the stairs and across the Entrance Hall, trying not to notice the large glowing countdown on the wall.

Just over fifty hours left…

All too familiar chiming rings out, followed by: "Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

Exactly fifty hours now.

Breakfast, like dinner last night, is a fairly quiet and uneventful affair. Once again, I'm the first to arrive, and I have the hot drinks all set up for the others arriving in the Dining Hall. Today, Haru is the next to arrive, and he gives me a polite nod as he pours himself a coffee.

"Sleep well?" I ask.

He shrugs. "As well as can be expected. You?"

"Better than I have lately, at least," I say. "Still, it's difficult not to take things for granted at the moment."

"You mean with this motive?"

Now it's my turn to shrug. "I… I don't know specifically, to be honest. I think after Monokuma's Syndrome, this one is definitely less… lethal. Not to say that I'm underestimating it," I add, as I see his eyebrows raise in amusement. "I just think that this time we've all went through enough together to know that murder isn't the answer."

"Very noble," he says, but he's smiling slightly. "Of course, you're missing the obvious there too."

"Which is?"

"Well, hypothetically," he says, leaning across the table towards me, "what would you assume if someone were to be found dead now?" He can clearly see the distress on my face, because he shakes his head. "I said 'hypothetically', Kei."

"I know…" I say. "I just… don't like to think about it."

"Alright," he says, "well to save you further distress, I'll answer. You would assume that someone had committed murder for the purpose of taking advantage of the motive, correct?"

"To escape here with someone else, yes," I nod.

"Well, there's your mistake," he says. "You're taking it at face value."

He gazes at me with those sharp eyes of his, like he's seeing right into my mind and reading every one of my thoughts. He sips his coffee and nods his head at me, prompting me to say something.

"Face value…" I frown. "Taking the motive at face value? That someone would take advantage of it to escape with a friend… But…" Realisation hits me like lightning. "But someone could also use the motive to their advantage. Killing just to benefit themselves!"

"Now you get it," he says, nodding approvingly. "You take your time but you get there in the end. Interesting."

"And what about you?" I ask. "You just always know?"

He shrugs. "I've got good intuition, that's all."

"I won't argue with that," I reply. "You seem to understand people fairly well. Are you sure you aren't like the Ultimate Psychologist or something?"

"So you're still puzzled by my talent too, hm?" he says, rubbing his chin. "I had hoped it would have come back to me by now, if I'm honest. It's getting a bit annoying not remembering…"

Our conversation ends there, as the others begin to arrive one-by-one.

I find myself mulling over my conversation with Haru as I eat breakfast. He's still as in the dark about his talent as the rest of us. It's a strange thought – I can't quite imagine not knowing my own talent. Could it be his talent is important? Or… dangerous, even? I can't quite imagine that. Haru's a little aloof and maybe kind of standoffish from time to time, but… not dangerous. Surely not dangerous?

A small chill runs up my spine, but I ignore it, finishing my food and getting up from the table, partly because I'm done and partly because I'm trying to escape Yamato and Yuki's rather sudden and animated argument about underwear…

* * *

After clearing up in the Kitchen, I return to my room for a while, and spend a few hours going through more of the manga I'd fetched from the Library yesterday. As a time killer, it's not too bad, and I'm almost reminded of what a day off in ordinary life was like.

So not long before lunchtime, I decide to take the manga I've completed back to the Library. I'm just on my way back downstairs when I find myself bumping into Kimi and Yuki. They both appear to be in workout clothes, and Yuki's hair is tied up instead of in its usual 'lion's mane' look. Even now, Kimi is completely glamorous – not a hair out of place, full face of make-up. Jeez, does she even have sweat glands?

"Oh, hey, Kei!" Yuki says, brightly. "Kimi and I are just back from the sauna! Have you tried it out yet? It's craaaazy good!"

"I am sorry you have to see me not looking my best," Kimi says, grimly. "I… do not usually allow myself to be seen looking so… unpresentable."

Yuki, who's been rocking back and forth on her heels, gives me a surreptitious grin and waggles her finger at the side of her head – the universal sign for 'she's cuckoo'. I can't fight the smile that appears on my face.

"You look fine, Kimi," I tell her.

This seems to only add to her dark mood. She looks at me in horror.

"Fine?" she echoes. "Fine?! My, my… I… I did not think it was as bad as that."

"Oh, no, no, no, sorry!" I cry, raising my hands to try and pacify her. "I mean you look amazing! Like… you always do! You look great!"

"Ugh, the damage has been done, Kei," she says, sadly, "but thank you for trying to save face at least. You're rather sweet... if a bit… weedy."

"Oh…" I don't quite know how to respond to that. "Thank you… I think?"

"It can't be helped," she says, more to herself than either of us. "Ah, well… there is always room for improvement."

"Well, maybe Kei can help us out, Kimi!" Yuki chimes in. Kimi seems not to hear it, suddenly completely caught up in her own thoughts. Yuki turns to me. "How d'you feel about running an errand for us, Kei?"

"Um, yeah, sure, what do you need?"

"Find Mitsu, Blessing, and Ino and bring them to the Salon on the Fifth Floor!" Yuki says. "All will be revealed then!"

"Just those three?"

"Well… I'd say bring Daisuke and Miniro, because they're pretty so I like having them around, but they're both busy with stuff today, so just the girls, okay?" She waggles a finger at me like a chastising teacher. "You won't let us down, right, Kei?"

"Um, yeah, sure, I can go find them – no worries! Um, any specific time you want them there for?"

"Quick as you can!" Yuki says, chirpy and cheerful again. "If you're extra good, I'll give you a special secret surprise, okay?" She gives me a conspiratorial wink, before linking arms with Kimi. "Okay, Kimi, let's get goin'! See you soon, Kei!"

"Yes, of course," Kimi says, apparently out of her little self-absorbed bubble. "See you later."

"Bye for now," I say. I already know that my best bet of finding Mitsu is in her Talent Lab in the North Tower of the Fourth Floor. But as for Blessing and Ino…

"When I find myself lost or confused, I find technology is always an excellent help," pipes up another voice.

I turn on the spot to see Monokuma peeking round the next corner, claws dug into a large, blood-red tapestry. He stumbles and tears a chunk out of the wall hanging, threads trailing from his talons. Screeching and flailing, he falls to the floor, wrestling with it.

"Technology?" I frown, purposely ignoring Monokuma's protests as he tangles with the scrap of tapestry. "Ah, yeah! The ElectroID map!"

I turn away and walk off in the opposite direction, digging my ElectroID out of my pocket as I go. From behind, I hear a distant, muffled "oof" as Monokuma apparently trips and falls on his face.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the three girls using the ElectroID Map, and about twenty minutes later, I had arrived at the Salon with Mitsu. She'd taken a fair bit of convincing compared to the other two, but when I'd told her that Yuki had been fairly insistent I brought them all there, she finally gave in. I was a little intrigued about what the inside of her Lab looked like, but when I'd went for her she'd just came to the door, closing it over so I couldn't see inside.

The Salon on the other hand, was just as interesting. A bright, white room, with streamlined metal counter tops and assortments of weird and wonderful hair and beauty related gadgets and gizmos. There was a row of mirrors along one wall, with more counters in front of them, and several squashy, comfortable looking red leather adjustable chairs stationed in front of the mirrors. Against the far wall was a few large couches made of the same material by the looks of it, currently occupied by Yuki, who was sprawled out with a garish-looking magazine placed over her face. By the sounds of it, she was fast asleep.

Kimi, on the other hand, was dancing around the room with frantic energy, raking through shelves and cupboards, adjusting lights and seat heights. Ino and Blessing were sat in two of the seats. Ino looked mildly perturbed – Blessing, on the other hand, just looked amazed.

"Oh, Mitsu, you're here!" Kimi says. "Please take a seat!"

"Take… a seat?" she echoes, as if she couldn't quite comprehend what she was being asked. "I thought there was something urgent going on?"

"Well, of course there's something urgent!" Kimi gasps. "We're having a salon day!"

"A… salon day?"

I can tell this is totally outside Mitsu's usual realm of experience. I have to admit, it's totally outside of mine as well. I don't even go to the hairdressers back home – my mom cuts my hair for me…

"A salon day, yes!" Kimi sighs. "I haven't had the chance to use my talent to my full potential since being here. Yuki and I were discussing it earlier today."

"Someonesaymyname?!" Yuki garbled in a panic, waking up and sitting upright like Frankenstein's monster. "Oh, everyone's here!"

In an instant, any indication that she was tired is gone, as she leaps up from the couch and drags a slightly befuddled-looking Mitsu over to one of the adjustable seats.

"Ooh, this is gonna be so fun!" she beams. Then she looks up and sees me. "Ah, you're here too! Oh, yeah, I promised you a super special secret surprise, right?"

"I… I guess so?" I say, uncertainly.

"Well, surprise! You get to stay!" Yuki says, throwing her arms wide in the air. In the chair in front of her, Mitsu silently communicates to me with her eyes that she wants nothing more than to escape. Despite myself, I smile and take a seat next to her, preparing for the worst.

The next few hours are… weird. Like something out of a TV show, or more accurately, a cartoon. Yuki and Kimi seem to zip back and forth, weaving and ducking around one another going from Blessing, to Ino, to Mitsu. Kimi doesn't bother to ask me if I want any make-up – not that I'm sure whether that's my sort of thing anyway – but Yuki flits to me in between the girls, with a snip here, and a cut there. She goes over my undercut again, shaving it back down to a manageable length, but leaves the rest in its usual kind of long, messy look, just a little neater and shorter in general.

It feels good to have it tamed, but the real treat is getting to see the two Ultimates in action – they're like controlled whirlwinds. Focus and energy both working in tandem to get the job done. Both of them seemed more alive than ever, the joy in their faces clear for all of us to see in their reflections in the mirrors.

Even after I'm done – which takes a little longer than initially planned because I let Yuki convince me into letting her dye my undercut a dark blue colour – I'm still a little taken aback at the thoroughness and just… boundless energy they both have. I wonder if this is how I look when I'm working. I find myself sitting on one of the couches, watching as the beautician and the hairdresser finish up their work on the other three girls.

"Lucky you stayed, Kei," Yuki beams. "We needed an impartial observer! Ready, you three?"

"I… I think so!" Blessing says, happily. "What do you think, Kei?"

"I-I…"

I'd watched them as the other two had worked on each of them, but even still, the final result was pretty incredible. It wasn't that they looked different or anything, it was hard to describe. It was just as if Yuki and Kimi had mapped out every detail of them – their face, and hair – and dabbed or applied or snipped or curled so intricately and precisely that… that…

Jesus, I think I'm gonna faint.

"Kei… are you alright?"

"He's like a lovesick puppy!"

"Ha ha!" I hear Kimi cry, victoriously. "Another boy falls under the alluring power of a woman's beauty!"

"And here was me thinking he only liked boys," I hear Yuki add. "Well, darn, the more ya know!"

"D'you mind?" I ask. "I am here, y'know."

"Oh, that snapped him round," Ino says with a snort of laughter. "Typical dude, gets weird when you get personal."

"Y-you-y…"

"He can't even talk back," Ino cries, delighted. "Oh, I might need you two to do this to me every day for the rest of my life."

"Well, Kei, seeing as you've proved yourself useful for now, how about you do us another favour while we start on the next stage?" Yuki beams.

"Next stage?" Mitsu gapes. "You mean we're not finished?"

"Oh, why, nowhere near!" Kimi gasps. "Darling Mitsu, we have barely scratched the surface!"

"I don't even feel like I'm wearing make-up," I hear Blessing say. "This is incredible!"

"Um… what do you want me to do?" I ask Yuki, still feeling fairly light-headed.

"Chocolate!" Yuki cries, throwing her arms wide. "Bring us chocolate!"

"Ch-chocolate?" I stammer.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Yuki grins. "Come on, come on!" She grabs my arm and propels me towards the door. "Out ya go, out ya go, out ya go! And don't come back without chocolate!"

I don't even know what the hell is happening in this place anymore. But y'know what… fuck it. There's chocolate on the horizon!

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	20. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (IV)

By the time I've made my way down to the Kitchen and then back to the Salon, the weird... lovesick feeling in my head seems to have cleared. Armed with chocolate, I arrive back to find the girls all sat, being subjected to some weird ritual I'm sharply informed by Kimi is called a mani-pedi. I'm then thanked for my help and then find myself cast back out into the corridor, Yuki and Kimi's conspiratorial grins just visible as the door slams shut in my face.

"Oh…" I say to the empty corridor. "Okay…"

Clearly my invitation to the Salon's been revoked.

Ah, well, I guess there's still plenty of other things to be doing today!

I check the ElectroID Map again, to see if any of the others are about. I can see my cute little 8-bit marker flashing on the Fifth Floor. Daisuke and Miniro are together, as per usual, down in Miniro's Lab, and Yamato's in his Lab. Masashi and Hikaru are both in their rooms. So, besides me, it looks like only Haru's free, wandering about in the Upper Castle.

I decide to go see if he wants some company, and tucking my ElectroID back into my pocket, I set off towards the Staircase. One good thing about having all of these stairs, it's a cinch burning off the calories of that chocolate I grabbed out of the bundle I'd brought up from the Kitchen.

* * *

Haru's sat on the plinth at the centre of the covered courtyard when I arrive. He's batting absent-mindedly at the weird sculpture, making the concentric circles spin and rotate half-heartedly. He watches their progress with a weird detached look, like he isn't really seeing them at all. Part of me doesn't want to disturb him, and I consider turning away and heading back to leave him be, but typically, that's when he looks up and notices me.

"What's happened to your hair?" he asks. I self-consciously reach up and touch it, before realising what he means.

"Oh, Yuki talked me into letting her dye a bit of it," I laugh. "She said it would compliment my hoodie."

"Compliment's a strong word," he says with a faint smile. "What are you up to anyway?"

"I was actually coming to see you," I tell him, crossing the grass to sit up on the plinth beside him. "I saw that everyone else was a little busy – and I figured I'd come see if you wanted some company."

"Fair enough," he shrugs. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

And so, I find myself walking about the Castle with Haru. It's weird, but I feel like we got a little closer somehow.

"Is it just me, Haru…" I say, "or are you a little less distant lately?"

He shrugs, hands in pockets as per usual. "I suppose it's not impossible," he says. "I think after the sort of situations we've been through together it's only sensible that maybe we all try and make an effort."

"To be fair, I think I even got through to Masashi yesterday," I say. He raises an eyebrow at me in disbelief. I laugh. "I know. I was as surprised as you."

"I suppose the direst of circumstances brings everyone together," Haru comments drily. "What happened?"

I shrug. "We just talked, really. Sat and had a cup of coffee and a chat. Nothing life-changing or dramatic."

"Oh, Kei," he sighs, shaking his head, "I thought of all people you might have realised just how life-changing…" He tails off. "Oh… never mind."

I look at him, quizzically, but there's a strange sense of sadness about him now, and I feel like probing further would just be rude… or even upsetting.

"Have you spoke to the others as well?" I ask.

"You mean like we're speaking right now?" he fires back.

"No, I mean through Morse code or dirty limericks," I say with a grin, rolling my eyes at him. "Yes, like this. Or in general, really."

He shrugs. "Once or twice, I suppose. You seem to be the Miss Congeniality of the group so far."

I don't know why, but this embarrasses me a little, and I feel my face heat up, despite the chilly breeze hitting us on the ramparts as we make our way back to the Main Castle.

"I just… don't like the thought of people being alone or left out," I say. "It doesn't sit right with me."

"I suppose that's part of your appeal as a barista," he replies. "I bet you have some sort of customer service award."

"N-no!" I protest, a little too quickly. He laughs at me.

"I was just kidding with you, you know," he says. Then he eyes me a little more skeptically. "You don't… actually have a customer service award, do you?"

"Can we just… change the subject, please?" I mutter.

"Oh, you totally have a customer service award!" he scoffs. "Bless."

"Stop it," I tell him.

"For someone who likes getting to know people, you're awfully private, Kei," he teases, nudging me lightly. "Come on, out with it."

"Yeah, okay, fine," I sigh, admitting defeat. "I have two. My mom has them framed in our living room. Happy now?"

He looks a little taken aback now. "Well, clearly you need to stop being so nice to people."

"Wh-what?"

"I dunno," he says, "don't you get tired of being all wishy-washy?"

"Why is it every conversation we have, you find some way to take a dig at me?" I ask.

"Guess you're just an easy target," he says, though he's smiling again – that weird secretive smile of his.

"Are you like this with all your friends?" I ask.

"Oh, we're friends now, are we?" he counters. "Awfully presumptuous of you, Kei."

I find myself actually lost for words at this point. I don't know if he's just trying to wind me up, or just joking, or if he's just generally insensitive by nature. I decide to tackle it from a different perspective.

"Well, that's fine," I tell him. "I just figured maybe someone as much of a miserable prat as you could have done with a friend."

"M-miserable? Prat?!" he gapes. "Kei…"

"Oh, sorry, I thought that was just how we were communicating now," I tell him with a wicked grin. For a moment he looks totally stunned and then…

"Remind me to complain to whoever gives out those awards once we get out of here," he says. "You're clearly a secret sociopath."

"I'll serve you a drink sometime," I tell him. "Then you'll get the full customer service experience."

"Oh, Kei, stop, you're going to make me blush!" he says in mock dramatics. I find myself laughing along with him. Despite his weird moods, and his… slightly insulting comments, I get the feeling he is actually making an effort. Huh, between Masashi and Haru, it's almost too good to be true.

I find myself mulling over this as we make our way back to the Common Room and part ways as he returns to his Dormitory room.

"Well, thank you for keeping me company at least," he says. "You're quite… alright company, I suppose."

"That was almost a compliment," I say. "Well done!"

"I still think your hair looks odd," he replies, but he smiles as he says it. "I suppose I'll get used to it. See you later."

"Yeah… see you later," I laugh, waving him off as I throw myself into my usual chair by the fireplace.

What a strange guy. Either he's forgotten how to communicate with people properly or he just doesn't care. Despite his… abrasive nature I kind of find myself warming up to him. Maybe not the nicest or most reliable person on the planet, but there's definitely more to him than maybe even he understands…

* * *

After saying goodbye to Haru and sitting around in the Common Room for a while, I find myself heading downstairs. I don't really have a final destination in mind, but I feel a little restless and I figure taking another walk around might burn off some of my energy.

I briefly consider going back up to the Salon, but then I remember Yuki and Kimi's urgency to shut the door in my face before and I decide my ego probably couldn't handle that happening a second time.

Without even really thinking about it, I find myself following the little cobblestone path to the Greenhouses, and take a little wander from building to building, taking in all the weird and wonderful plants. I hadn't really thought about it before, but this is one part of the Castle and its Grounds that I haven't really explored properly before, so it's a nice change of pace to look around.

There must be some sort of artificial atmosphere in the Greenhouses, as there's a strange, almost tropical heat throughout, though there are also patches of cool shade, mainly under the branches of enormous trees with blue-green bark, and canopies of turquoise and emerald creepers and vines that reach up to the glass ceilings far, far above. From certain angles, it's easy to forget I'm actually inside a building, and not in some vast, unexplored jungle. It's pretty incredible!

With my hoodie tied around my waist, my tie loosened, and my shirtsleeves rolled up, I find myself climbing up a little natural ladder of branches, about halfway up one of the larger trees. By the looks of it, the top of it actually disappears through a hole in the ceiling, and I briefly flirt with the idea of seeing how high I can climb.

But then I decide that doing something like that is probably just asking for disaster, and content myself with plopping myself down on one of the branches, my feet dangling over the side as I look out over the crazy assortments of plant life that go on as far as I can see in either direction. Just lucky I remember where the door I came in is, huh?

I've only been sitting for five minutes or so when I hear the sounds of someone moving through the… I guess you'd call it 'undergrowth', and a few moments later, a familiar blonde-haired figure emerges: Daisuke, sleeves rolled up, and carrying a large satchel. He's smiling a little serenely to himself, and his smile only widens as he looks up to see me.

"Oh, Mr Kamiya!" he says. "I haven't s-seen you out here b-before!"

"Just enjoying the view," I tell him. "What you got there, Daisuke?"

He looks down at the satchel and then gives it a pat.

"Just some e-equipment," he says. "I found a ra-rather rare f-f-flower here – one of a kind – and I want to see if I can take a c-cu-cutting and gr-grow more!"

"Sounds cool!" I reply. "Mind if I watch?"

"Oh, it would be a pleasure!" Daisuke beams. "It's just a little further up th-this way if you'd like to f-follow me, Mr Kamiya!"

"Lead the way," I tell him, hopping down from the tree.

* * *

So I end up spending some time with Daisuke, helping him hunt out this particular flower in the Greenhouses. The flower in question is… well… certainly as Daisuke described it 'one of a kind'.

"I-It's incredible, isn't it?" gushes Daisuke, kneeling down gingerly on a large stone and gazing almost reverently at the flower.

"It's… certainly something," I agree, hoping it isn't too obvious that… really I think it's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. It's fairly tall – maybe about three or four feet in height – with a thick, pale grey stem, and sharp, leaves, tinged red as if they'd been dipped in blood. The flower itself looks a bit like a rotted, severed hand, with only a few long, angular petals clasping what looks like a cluster of small, jet-black pods. Why Daisuke would want to grow more from this monstrosity is beyond me… He seems to notice my hesitation.

"Oh, I know it's rather g-grim-looking," he says. "It's c-certainly n-n-not something you'd want to r-receive as a gift, but just… on its own, it's quite st-st-striking. I… I'm rather enthusiastic about growing and c-caring for flowers, as well as my usual d-duties as a florist."

He approaches the flower, rummaging in his satchel for something, and I eye the thing warily, as if I expect it to suddenly lunge for him like an actual hand. But besides swaying slightly in an artificial breeze, it doesn't make any sudden movements.

"So do you have like your own garden back home for this sort of thing?" I ask. Daisuke nods, his back turned to me now as he busies himself with pulling on a set of padded brown gloves he's pulled from the bag.

"Oh, yes!" he says. "I run the M-Mizumaki Flower Sh-Shop with my m-mother and father in Shinjuku, and we live in the ap-apartment upstairs, with a r-rooftop garden above us. Our whole b-building is pretty much f-full of flowers, whether they're for sale, or for d-d-display, or simply just because we felt like gr-growing them. We even grow our own fruit and v-vegetables!"

"That sounds like a lot of hard work," I smile. "That's really impressive, though, Daisuke! And you take care of all that with your mom and dad?"

"Well, it's mainly me and my father," he replies. He's fetched a small magnifying glass out of his bag now and is inspecting the plant's leaves one-by-one. "M-Mother's usually busy with the more p-paperwork-oriented side of things."

"Ah, that's usually how things are for me," I nod. "Mom's pretty good at all that stuff – I'm kinda useless with numbers outside of prices and measurements."

"Father tried it for a while but he's f-fairly hopeless," Daisuke says, smiling fondly. "He always says he was b-born to have his ha-hands covered in soil, and not in i-ink. Mother says he just says that to get out of d-doing paperwork, but she prefers doing it h-herself anyway."

"Seems like you inherited the best of both of them, huh?" I say. "They sound really nice."

"Oh, they're amazing!" he beams. "I've… been l-lucky. C-Could you pass me out the sm-small tweezers and the zip-seal b-bag, please, Mr Kamiya?"

"Sure thing," I say, reaching over to the bag. It takes a few seconds to rummage about for them, but I find what he's asked for – a small set of silver tweezers, and a transparent zip-seal bag – and hand them over to him.

He takes them from me with a grateful smile. I find myself grateful that the heat inside the Greenhouse hides the faint blush that appears on my face. Jeez, what is it with me today?

"Well, that's me all d-done here!" he says cheerily, a few moments later. "I've t-taken some cuttings – nothing too i-intrusive or harmful – and now I can take these to m-my Lab! Would you l-like to come with me, Mr K-Kamiya? I'm sure there w-was a kettle somewhere if you'd like a d-drink."

"Sounds like a plan," I say, straightening up from where I've been crouched in the grass and patting down the knees of my jeans.

We make our way back out of the Greenhouse, chatting along the way. Following Daisuke along the winding paths between the Greenhouses, I soon find myself standing in front of a large set of double doors, decorated with an engraved ivy design. _Talent Laboratory: Ultimate Florist_ is engraved on the plaque at the side of the door.

Daisuke swipes his ElectroID over the pad below the plaque, and the doors swing open, soundlessly.

And beyond the doors is something straight out of a fairy-tale. It's like the most picturesque place I've ever seen, with thick, perfectly manicured grass beneath my feet, and pink cherry blossoms falling from a canopy of branches that form a sort of arch over our heads as I follow Daisuke into his Talent Lab.

There's a serene-looking little pond in the very centre of the – I struggle to call it a room – glade, with a whole bunch of aquatic plant-life visible in the clear, blue water. Sunlight filters through the glass ceiling above us in shafts, adding to the vibrancy and splendor of our surroundings.

There's a small set of steps that lead up to a kind of veranda on the far side of the room, and as I stop to marvel at everything else in here, Daisuke makes his way up there. As I approach the foot of the stairs, a small cluster of lilac butterflies take flight from a small tree with delicate red flowers growing out of it. There's plant-pots and hanging baskets and all sorts as well, all teeming with crazy combinations of plants and flowers, shrubs and bushes, trees and vines.

I make my way up the small flight of stairs, and Daisuke gestures for me to take a seat on a comfortable-looking high-backed chair positioned near the balcony.

"This place is incredible," I tell him.

"Oh, well, I've m-made some adjustments," he admits, sheepishly. "Thank you, though, Mr Kamiya! I'll just be a m-moment with this and then I'll find that k-kettle."

"I'd offer to get it for you, but I think I've made some new friends," I chuckle as the small group of butterflies suddenly drift over and land around me. I raise a hand up slightly, encouraging a few still in-flight to drift a little nearer.

"It's your h-hair," Daisuke giggles. "They're mostly attracted to r-red and orange plants. You must look very a-appealing to them!"

"Well, I'll just take it as a compliment," I smile as another of the butterflies lands delicately on my outstretched finger. "It's kind of… amazing to think that even in a place as horrible as this Castle, there's still so much life!"

Daisuke smiles. "That's part of the appeal f-flowers have for me," he admits. "Some of the h-harshest conditions bring out the most b-beautiful of sp-species! Now… wh-where's that kettle?"

* * *

After spending another while with Daisuke in his Lab, we both decide to head back to the Castle. Daisuke had to meet up with Miniro, and I decided now was as good a time as any to try and meet up with Hikaru before dinner.

So, it's a fairly nice coincidence when we make our way into the Entrance Hall to find Miniro and Hikaru having an animated chat as they make their way through the archway leading off to the Common Room.

"Afternoon, you two!" Miniro beams. "Been busy?"

"I was showing Mr Kamiya that f-flower I told you about earlier, Mr Shirane!" Daisuke says. "He helped me g-get some cuttings from it."

"Well, I mostly watched," I admit.

"And then Mr Kamiya made friends with the b-butterflies in my T-Talent Laboratory," chuckles Daisuke. "They liked his hair."

"It is very nice hair," Hikaru comments, kindly. "I like the new bit of colour!"

"Thanks," I say, suddenly feeling weirdly self-conscious. "Yuki wanted a guinea pig for it, and she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You suit it," Hikaru replies. He looks to Miniro. "Anyways, I think I should be letting you away to get on with whatever it is you and Daisuke had planned."

"Oh, I actually wanted to talk to you, so that's probably a good idea," I tell him. "If you're free?"

"Sounds ominous," he chuckles. "But yeah, no worries! See you two at dinner!"

"Ooh, we'll leave you two to it," Miniro says, giving me a wink. "Shall we, Daisuke?"

"Y-yes, of course! S-see you both later!"

We exchange goodbyes, with Miniro and Daisuke heading off in the direction of the Staircase.

"What'd you want to talk about?" Hikaru asks, as soon as they're gone.

"I… um… it's… complicated."

"Isn't everything in this place?" he laughs. "Would it help if we went somewhere more private?"

"That's actually what I was gonna suggest," I admit, trying not to notice the countdown on the ceiling out of the corner of my eye.

* * *

And so, almost inevitably, we end up in my Bar. The whole way there, I'm mentally rehearsing how I'm going to explain things to him, and once we're there I find myself feeling a little giddy from the nerves as he takes a seat across the bar from me. I quickly make up a couple coffees and place his gently down in front of him.

"Thanks," he says. "But… I hope you don't mind me saying this, you're kind of scaring me a bit. You seem a little out of it."

"I'm… trying to work out how to explain something," I admit to him. "You might be angry with me."

"I'm sure it isn't anything that bad, Kei," he tells me, though I can see straight away from the look in his eyes that he's worried. Not as worried as I am, probably.

"Do you remember that picture you found the morning after the Trial?" I say. He frowns at me, confused, but then nods.

"Yeah, the one of Ayaka, Fumio, and that other girl… Cho, right?"

"That's right."

"What about it?"

I take a deep breath.

"That isn't the first picture like that that's showed up so far," I admit to him. Just saying those words makes me feel like some great weight is being shifted from my back. "Mitsu and I… we found two other pictures like that one."

"You didn't say anything about it at the time," Hikaru points out. "Neither of you did."

"I… I know," I groan. "Mitsu wanted to keep it between just us two at first, because… well… because we're in the pictures."

"You… you're what?!" Hikaru's eyes widen.

"Oh, god, this isn't how I wanted to explain!" I cry. "I'm really sorry, Hikaru, fuck…"

"So what do you know about the pictures?" he asks me. I shake my head.

"Nothing, to be honest," I confess. "Neither of us have any memory of those pictures ever being taken. The first picture was of me in the Castle Library, and the second one was of Mitsu, Arata, and Kaori in the Entrance Courtyard."

"And there's no way those pictures could have been taken while we… well, you guys… were all here?"

I shake my head. "And it wasn't even like they were just snaps from like… one of the surveillance cameras," I say, gesturing at the one in the corner of the room, "but it was like an actual snapshot. Like 'smile for the camera' kind of deal. The same as the one you found."

"Why… why are you telling me this, Kei?" he asks.

"Mitsu… wanted to have another look at the picture you found," I tell him. "She seems to have like… the beginnings of a theory, but she said that could help us. And… I wanted to be honest with you. I didn't like the thought of just asking you for it without explaining to you why."

"Why didn't you say anything before though?" He doesn't look… upset. Just confused.

"Mitsu was concerned it could cause a panic," I tell him. "She thought that until we had some more concrete evidence that the pictures were faked or whatever, it would only cause a row or make one of us a target."

"I… can understand why you'd be wary, I guess. Out of all the people that's been in the pictures so far, only you two are alive," he says, absent-mindedly fidgeting with one of his bobby pins. "But… I believe that you're telling the truth. I believe you aren't behind any of this."

I realise I've been holding my breath while he's been talking and it escapes me as a long sigh of relief.

"I… I'm really sorry I didn't just tell you the truth sooner."

"I'm a little annoyed that you didn't, to be honest," he tells me, "but I know you were only doing what you and Mitsu thought was best. I still have the picture in my room somewhere, I think. I can go look for it and then we can go find Mitsu, if you'd like?"

"That sounds good," I agree. "Thank you, Hikaru. Thank you for… you know… not throwing coffee in my face or something."

"We're friends, Kei," he tells me, a sad smile appearing on his face. "I won't ask you to like confide all your deepest, darkest secrets to me, because that would just be psycho behaviour, but… if you have something on your mind and you feel like you need to talk to someone about it, please remember I'm here for you, okay? Like Miniro said, we all need to believe in each other."

"You're right," I nod, now feeling more ashamed than anything else. "Thank you, Hikaru. For everything."

"Dude, you can stop thanking me now," he says, laughing now. "We'll finish these, go hunt out that picture, and then see what Mitsu has to say. I guess I'm part of your Scooby Doo gang now, huh?"

"Scooby Doo gang?" I laugh. "Aren't we still one person and one dog short?"

He shrugs. "Well, okay, three out of five isn't _that_ bad… mathematically speaking. I mean, I'm presuming… I flunked maths big-time."

* * *

After talking with Hikaru I feel a hundred times better, though deep down there's still part of me that feels guilty about still hiding the pictures from the others. But, hey, maybe if Mitsu's come up with something else, we might finally actually have something worth sharing with them. At least, that's what I tell myself as we make our way up to the Fourth Floor, after checking the Map on the ElectroID to ensure she definitely wasn't still in the Salon.

"Will she be mad with you for telling me?" Hikaru asks me, fidgeting a little with the picture in his hand. I shake my head.

"She told me it was my decision whether or not to be honest with you about it," I tell him. "If anything, she'll just be happy to actually have the picture."

"She's… interesting, huh?"

I smile a little at that. "Well, yes, that's definitely one word to describe her."

"Do you like her?" he asks, suddenly.

"D'you mean like as a friend? Or something else?"

He shrugs. "You tell me."

"She's pretty, but she kinda scares me sometimes," I find myself confessing. "So, yeah, as a friend. I get the feeling that as far as Mitsu's concerned 'something else' is out of the question, just… in general. Plus, I don't really know if there's time for… 'something else' in this place."

"Daisuke and Miniro are making a good attempt at 'something else'," Hikaru points out, waggling his fingers for quotation marks.

"Oh, they'll definitely end up married," I laugh. "Once they actually admit they like each other. But, for me, personally, I just don't see anything like that working… not till I get out of here at least."

Hikaru shrugs. "Haven't thought about it much, myself, to be honest."

"Jesus, I just realised… we're having like… a normal schoolkid conversation," I tell him. "Like… we're talking about girls and guys and dating and stuff like… like normal people would."

"Yeah, it's a real novelty, huh?" Hikaru chuckles. "Are we going crazy?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be shocked," I sigh. "But we'll worry about getting diagnosed later. We're here."

Brushing the snow from our hair, we approach the door to Mitsu's Lab. A little nervously, I reach out and give the door a quick knock. A few seconds later, Mitsu appears.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd both turn up," she says. "I've just finished cleaning off the last of that make-up, as you might be able to tell by the fact you're not drooling on the floor."

"Um, yeah, about that…" I begin.

"Don't worry about it," she says with a faint smile. She notices Hikaru's quizzical expression and adds, "Apparently Kimi and Yuki's combined efforts have something of a hypnotic effect on people. Kei was a little… lovestruck, earlier."

"Don't remind me," I groan. "I feel dumb."

"It's fine," she says, "it actually turned out to have a similar effect on the rest of us." She coughs, sheepishly, a faint blush appearing across her face. "Ino and Yuki in particular were… well, that's besides the point – I suppose you've explained things to Hikaru?"

I nod. "I told him about the other pictures, and why we hadn't told everyone the truth before."

"And presumably you agreed we were in the right not to do that?"

"I understood why you did it, but I don't know if I'd necessarily say you were in the right," Hikaru said. "But I guess I'm in on it now and I don't feel like telling the others, so that must make me as bad as you are." He nudges me, playfully. "Eh, co-conspirator?"

"You better come in," Mitsu says, holding the door to her Lab open wider so we can get by her.

The room beyond is tall and high-ceilinged, with large windows that let in plenty of light from outside. By now, it's starting to get late, and the room has a pink glow from the colour of the setting sun somewhere far off. The floors are a polished dark wood, as are the several large tables that occupy the centre of the room, and the enormous shelves and bookcases that line the rest of it. Multiple noticeboards and screens cover the walls, and a projector unit hangs from a rafter, with multiple lenses pointing different images at the various screens. Two in question are of the pictures we've previously found. The original pictures themselves currently occupy a space in amongst a muddle of other documents littered across the central tables.

"Been busy?" Hikaru asks.

"Very," Mitsu replies, grimly. "Pull some chairs over."

She gestures at two swivel chairs that have been pushed to the far side of the room, presumably to get them out of the way, and Hikaru and I grab one each, wheeling them over to the table she's now sitting down at. She looks quite at home here, as if she's been using this room her entire life.

"I've pretty much pulled the Archive apart," she informs us. "And I've come up with some information. But first, do you mind if I see that picture?"

"Oh, yeah, there you go," Hikaru says, handing it across the table to her. She takes it with a grateful nod and gets up from her seat, crossing over to a scanner in the corner of the room. There's a few moments while she scans it into a computer sitting beside it. I notice that she's got the laptop from the Archive set up beside it too, currently on standby.

A few seconds later, she returns to her seat and jabs at a remote sitting on the desk in front of her. The projector above us whirs into life, and one of the dormant screens is replaced with a blow-up of the picture. Ayaka, Fumio, and Cho join me, Mitsu, Arata, and Kaori like eerie paintings on the wall.

"I thought so…" Mitsu murmurs.

"Thought what?" Hikaru and I ask in unison, exchanging a glance. Mitsu rolls her eyes.

"Honestly, both of you, use your eyes! Can't you see it?"

"Not particularly," I admit.

"Oh!" I hear Hikaru cry from beside me. "I think I see what you're getting at. Can you move them?"

She nods. "This might clear things up a little for you, Kei," she says, jabbing at the remote for the projector. There's a click as one screen goes off, then another. The projector whirrs as its lenses seem to readjust, and then, on the one screen, the three pictures join together, though this time they've been rearranged.

On the far left-hand side is Fumio, with one of Cho's arms over his shoulder. Then Cho herself, then Ayaka, with Cho's other arm over her shoulder. Then, it's as if the picture transitions into the middle picture, showing Mitsu, Kaori, and Arata. The way Arata's standing in the picture has him just at the edge of the image, which suddenly transitions into…

The picture of me. I hadn't noticed it before, because the picture on the laptop had had a white border around it, but now that the three pictures are lined up without the borders, it's clear to see that the three of them all lead into each other.

"It's like a triptych," Hikaru murmurs. "Or at least I think that's what it is."

"Maybe for now it is," Mitsu says, grimly, "but look at the edges of the pictures. Doesn't it look like they lead on to others?"

"So these could just be a few of many?" I ask.

"That would seem to be the case," Mitsu nods, not taking her eyes off of the screen in front of her. "I don't like this…"

"Me neither," I admit. "If anything, I'd go on the record as saying I very strongly dislike it."

"I second that notion," Hikaru says.

"What are you hiding?" Mitsu mutters, darkly, still gazing intently at the assembled pictures. "What could you… possibly be?"

I feel a slight chill up my spine as she says this, and for a few long moments we lapse into silence. I hadn't looked at either of the pictures together close enough before to really notice they could have linked in any way, but now it's impossible to see them as separate pictures. They're just parts of a whole. The pieces of the jigsaw…

Whatever Monokuma… or whoever controls Monokuma means by these pictures… I just don't know.

Finally, Mitsu breaks the silence. "Right, that's a problem for another day," she says, switching the screen off, though still eyeing it for a few moments after it's gone off, as if trying to memorise where all the details had been. "I… have something else here. And if you didn't like what you've already seen, you're going to hate this."

I let out a small moan. "And I was having such a good day."

Mitsu lifts a black folder off of the desk in front of her and opens it up, turning it round so Hikaru and I can both read it. It's kind of a mess of information. Scraps of e-mails, snippets of official looking files, scribbled notes and annotations. None of it appears to be Mitsu's handwriting though, I notice.

I see snippets of words and phrases I recognise.

'Killing game'. 'Monokuma'. 'Despair'. 'Hope's Peak'.

"What does this all mean?" I ask.

"It isn't good," Mitsu says.

"Yeah, getting that impression," Hikaru replies. "But for those of us who can't decode twenty different articles at once?"

Mitsu grabs the file back off of us and gets to her feet. As we watch on, expectantly, she begins to pace back and forth, flipping through the file.

"History's repeating itself," she says, eventually. "We're playing a game that's been played before. More than once."

"Wh-what?!"

"This… killing game of Monokuma's," she says. "It's happened before. This file even implies it could have happened more than once before."

"What?! When?! How?!" Hikaru cries.

"It doesn't say for certain," Mitsu says. "But by the sounds of it, the initial killing game took place inside Hope's Peak Academy."

My blood seems to turn to ice in my veins.

"In…side Hope's Peak?" I echo.

"It would appear so," Mitsu says, grimly. "I don't know how!" she adds, cutting off Hikaru's next question before he can ask it. "But the information in this file… its missing a lot of information."

"Could it be fake?" I ask.

"It could be," Mitsu admits, "but I really don't think it is."

"What makes you say that?" Hikaru asks.

"There are… pictures in the file too. Despite what I may have said to Masashi the other day, I am fairly well versed in telling when a picture's been faked. And by the looks of these, they're the real deal."

"What… sort of pictures?" I find myself asking. My voice suddenly sounds very small, as if I'm hearing it from across the room. It's just the shock, Kei… calm down…

 _What sort of pictures? As if you don't know the answer already, idiot._

"Some are just of the… participating students," she says. "Some alive… some dead."

 _Yup, you were right, ding ding ding, points for everyone!_

Fuck…

"There's another thing," Mitsu says. "The file is missing a lot of information, like full details on each of the… murders, and the Trials. It's also missing information on the circumstances that lead to the game starting and how it ended. But there is something that we might need to be wary of."

"You mean despite the fact we're in what could be one of many killing games?" I ask, quietly.

"According to the file, in the original School Life of Mutual Killing at Hope's Peak Academy, there was a traitor…"

"A traitor?!"

"One of the participating students – the file doesn't say who – was feeding information back to the mastermind."

"And you think that could be happening here too?" Hikaru asks.

"It's a possibility," Mitsu says, grimly. "I wouldn't like to think that of any of us, but it's still a distinct possibility. Someone in this Castle could be a traitor."

"Fuck…"

* * *

We must have sat there for at least another hour, taking turns at reading snippets of the file, or looking at the reassembled picture again. Finally, the three of us admitted defeat and made our way downstairs to join the others for dinner. It would only complicate matters now if we were seen to be hiding from everyone.

But even as I picked at the food on my plate and tried to join in some chit-chat with the others, Mitsu's words were playing over and over again in my mind.

 _Someone in this Castle could be a traitor._

Was it really possible? Could one of us really be working with whoever's responsible for trapping us here? And how was it possible that this was _another_ killing game? How powerful is the person – _or people_ , a nasty little voice in my head reminded me – who could put together something on this scale?

All through dinner, my thoughts are consumed by hypotheticals and concerns. Did we really stand a chance against some force like this?

And then a distraction came, in the form of Miniro clearing his throat.

"Well, uh, seeing as we're all pretty much finished up," he says, addressing us all. "Daisuke and I have been busy coming up with a plan over the past couple of days for something we could all do to raise everyone's spirits a little, and maybe bring everyone a little closer together!"

"Ooh, what did you have in mind?" Blessing asks.

"M-Mr Shirane and I thought that m-maybe we could make use of the B-Ballroom on the Fifth F-Floor," Daisuke says with a wide smile. "And have a p-party!"

"A party?" repeats Masashi, as if he's just heard the word for the first time.

"Yeah!" Miniro beams. "Daisuke thought we could all do with some cheering up."

"W-well, we both sort of th-thought of it," Daisuke says, his face slowly going a deep crimson. He manages a wobbly smile. "I c-can't take all of the credit, M-Mr Shirane!"

"A party sounds _great_!" Yuki beams. "It's my birthday tomorrow after all!"

"Well, that settles it then!" Ino says, taking a few of us by surprise. She notices our expressions and raises an eyebrow. "What are _those_ faces for?"

"You just never struck me as a… party person," Yamato shrugs.

"I like parties as much as the next person," Ino retorts, huffily.

"Well, hey, if everyone's up for it, that's perfect!" Miniro says. "We can have it in the Ballroom tomorrow night! And it's even more special now we have something to officially celebrate!"

Up and down the table, everyone bursts into conversation. Even Masashi seems to be getting dragged into debate over whether or not there should be party hats. I look round at Hikaru and he gives me a kind of weak shrug.

"A party might take our minds off of stuff," he says, quietly.

"I guess so," I reply.

And then he says the magic words. The magic cursed words. The magic, terrible, super stupid, 'never, ever, ever say in a killing game ever' words.

"I mean… a party… what's the worst that could happen… right?"

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	21. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (V)

The rest of that night… and most of the following day is a bit of a blur, really. Despite struggling to get to sleep with my concerns over what Mitsu told Hikaru and I about the previous killing game, I finally fall into a fitful doze, waking up with seconds to spare before Monokuma's Morning Announcement.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7am, and Night-time is officially over – time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

In contrast with the past couple of days, I'm pretty much the last one to arrive for breakfast that morning, and I find the others all talking quite animatedly about the party. I remember just in time to wish Yuki a happy birthday and she gives me a giant grin and wraps her arms around me, squeezing the life out of me in a bone-crushing hug, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Oh, Kei, you look awful!" Blessing says as I sit down at the table. "Haven't you slept?"

"Not much," I admit. "I'll be fine."

"Well, once you've had something to eat, get back up to bed for a few hours," Miniro says. "Can't have you missing out on the party tonight!"

"U-unless you aren't feeling up t-to it, Mr Kamiya," adds Daisuke, politely. I shake my head and force a smile on my face.

"Don't worry, guys, I'll be fine," I tell them. "I think I just need caffeine."

All throughout breakfast, I listen to the others as they discuss the arrangements and battleplan for the day. Kimi was insistent that the girls all returned to the Salon to get ready together.

"Plus, it's pretty much next door to the Ballroom," Ino points out. "Saves having to hike up all the stairs again once we're ready."

"Exactly," Kimi nods. "Fabulous functions like tonight's requires a certain… extra flair. And, yes, Mitsu, you are to attend our Salon preparations too."

Mitsu tries to hide her disappointment. It doesn't quite work.

"Well, while you lot are doing that, us guys can get everything set up in the Ballroom," Miniro says. "Daisuke and I have a checklist of everything here, if you guys are happy to help out?"

"As long as there isn't too much heavy lifting involved," Yamato says, "Orochi and I'll help with whatever! Isn't that right, lil buddy?" He coos at the little snake coiled around his finger and boops its tiny snout gently. In response, Orochi does a little figure-eight around his middle and index fingers.

"I think the Ballroom's fairly well kitted out already," Hikaru points out. "There's drinks and some snack stuff, but for proper food we'll probably have to bring it up from the Kitchen."

"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that," Yamato says. "There's like boozy stuff up there, right?"

"Y-yes," Daisuke nods, consulting a few pieces of paper he's pulled out of his pocket. "B-but they're all cl-clearly marked so that sh-should prevent us accidentally d-drinking it."

"No 'accidentally' about it," Yamato mutters to me, conspiratorially. I try to hide my grin as Daisuke looks over at us.

"Well, how about after lunch, when the girls go to the Salon, us guys can meet up in the Ballroom and get everything sorted?" Miniro suggests.

"Sounds good to me," I nod.

"I suppose so," Haru shrugs.

There's general mutters of agreement from the other guys and, with a plan now in motion, we get on with finishing breakfast.

* * *

Despite my worries from the night before, I find that I start to relax and feel more comfortable as the day goes on. Really, it's easy for us to get into a panic and assume the worst, but I've got to know these people over the time we've spent together – is it really possible one of them could be betraying us all? I'm fairly certain someone would have noticed something by now if that were the case.

The morning slowly passes into afternoon, and after meeting with the other guys in the Ballroom, I help prep the place for the party that evening. The girls are just down the hall in the Salon, but one of them's left the door ajar slightly, and the corridor is thick with the scents of perfumes and products – a kind of heady cherry and chocolate aroma.

"I guess they're going all out, huh?" Yamato says to me as we make our way along the corridor, boxes of decorations from a nearby storeroom in our arms.

The Ballroom, which had already looked pretty amazing, now looked even better than I'd expected. Hikaru was hunched over one of the control stations for the lighting, and the room now had a low, atmospheric vibe to it. Small spotlights in the walls and ceiling were starting to swivel about and beam small, bright rays of light across the room, dancing like fireflies around us.

The main dancefloor had been pretty big to begin with, while the bar hadn't taken up much space, but now, thanks to the efforts of Miniro and Masashi, a fair amount of the floor was now occupied with long tables, waiting to be weighed down with food, and a bunch of smaller tables had been arranged with chairs around them so that we could sit together. At the top end of the room, over the bar, Daisuke and Haru stood on top of stepladders, trying to pin up a long 'Happy Birthday' banner.

"Do you think this is the right height?" Haru calls down to Yamato and I as we make our way over to the bar and place the boxes of decorations down. Yamato takes a few steps back and looks from Daisuke's side to Haru's.

"Looks good to me, man!" he says. "Kei?"

I mirror his actions and then nod my approval. "Perfect! Nicely done!"

"Good stuff!" Haru says, nodding with satisfaction as he finishes thumping the pin into the wall. He hops down the ladder, and Daisuke does the same a moment later, both stepping back a little as Yamato and I had done, admiring their handiwork.

"Do you think Miss T-Tadeshi will b-be pleased?" Daisuke says. "I was w-worried she might be a l-little disappointed we weren't able t-to get g-gifts for her."

"Well, it's like they say: it's the thought that counts," shrugs Haru, nonchalantly sliding his hands into his pockets. "Throwing a party for someone is a gift in itself."

"Though the party idea kind of came up before we knew about Yuki's birthday," points out Yamato. Haru glances at him from the corner of his eye.

"Still, we went to the extra effort," he replies. "Better than nothing at the end of the day."

"I-I suppose y-you're right, Mr T-Takezaki," Daisuke says. "I th-think I better get on now. I n-need to see if I can find a p-particular recipe from the cookbooks in the L-Library. See you all soon!" And with an enthusiastic smile and a polite bow, Daisuke crosses the Ballroom and disappears out of the large double doors leading back out into the corridor.

"Wonder what recipe he's talking about," Yamato says. "Probably not cocktails, huh?"

"Oh, speaking of," Haru says, "I noticed the bottles are all labelled clearly with what is and isn't alcoholic. That should hopefully prevent any mix-ups."

"I prefer the good ol' fashioned taste test," Yamato shrugs. "But yeah."

"So you're definitely planning on drinking?" I ask him.

"You mean you weren't?" he asks me.

"Oh, no, not Mr Tee-Total Barista Boy!" cackles Monokuma, leaping up from behind the bar. He's wearing a red bartender's vest over a white shirt and bow-tie. In his hands, he's throwing about a cocktail shaker – the ice cubes inside it are rattling wildly.

"What do you want?" Haru sighs, crossing his arms. Monokuma keeps rattling away, humming under his breath.

"Oh, well, it would be terribly remiss of me to let you all go drinking unsupervised," he says. "Most headteachers would have a total alcohol ban on campus, but y'know, you kids are so slow with getting your murder thang on that watching one of you get liver poisoning might be more productive."

Yamato grunts in disgust. "You even manage to make getting drunk depressing."

"Alcohol is a depressant," Masashi points out, coming over to join us. "What's the bear here for anyway?"

"Just to be annoying," I say. "Business as usual."

Monokuma deflates a little. "You kids are so hateful," he sighs. "A bear can't even come make himself a Decapitated High Schooler without getting abuse."

"A… what?"

"A Decapitated High Schooler!" Monokuma cheers. "A cocktail of my own devising. I'll leave a recipe under the bar for ya!"

"Please don't."

"The secret ingredient is tears," Monokuma says in a mock-whisper, leaning forwards a little as if he's imparting some great secret to us. He straightens up, finishes rattling the cocktail shaker, and then decants it into a glass. "Well then," he says, "I'll be off. Got important… uh… headmaster duties to take care of… or something."

He waddles off, leaving the four of us a little dumbfounded.

"If you'd have told me a few weeks ago that my life was going to be ruined by a day-drinking teddy bear, I'd have called you crazy," Yamato says, shaking his head at Monokuma's retreating form.

"Where do you suppose he goes when he isn't harassing us?" I ask. The others all shrug.

"Hell, wherever it is, let's hope he stays there tonight," Yamato says. "I'm not playing drinking games with that psycho. He'd probably rig the beer pong to… detonate or something."

"Beer pong?" Masashi says with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. Yamato shrugs.

"Just a suggestion," he says. "God, I haven't played beer pong in forever!"

"Maybe you should run it by Miniro," Haru suggests. "I get the feeling Daisuke wouldn't approve."

"He's a nice guy," Yamato says, "but he could do with unwinding a little. Way too highly strung!"

"I think we've all been pretty highly strung in this place so far," I point out.

Yamato looks a little uncomfortable for a second and then smiles. "Well, that just means now is as good a time as any to loosen up, huh?"

"Can't argue with that," I laugh.

"Good!" he beams. "I guess that means you guys are game for some prinks?"

"Prinks?" Masashi and I echo, looking at one another in confusion.

"It means pre-drinks," Haru explains.

Yamato can clearly see we still don't look much the wiser. "It's when you have like a couple drinks just to sort of ease in before you start like… properly drinking."

"I don't quite get the concept," Masashi admits, "but I suppose it could be an experience worth trying…"

"Way to go, Masashi!" beams Yamato, slapping him on the back enthusiastically. Masashi wrinkles his nose, apparently disturbed by this sudden interaction. "I knew you couldn't be a total loser."

"You could really work on the whole charm thing," Haru comments, though he's smirking a little. Masashi looks like he can't quite process what the hell is happening. I find myself fighting a grin – I guess he really is starting to warm up to us!

"Tell ya what," Yamato says. "You guys keep going with the decorations and stuff, and I will knock up a lil Nagai Special punch!"

"Sounds like an excuse to get out of decorating if you ask me," Haru says, but then he shrugs. "Guess we won't know until we try it."

"Oh, seriously, guys, you're gonna love this!"

"Shouldn't this be more Kei's area of expertise?" Masashi asks. "He is the Ultimate Barista after all."

"Ultimate Barista, maybe," I say, "Ultimate Bartender, not so much. I don't have much experience with serving alcohol, to be honest."

"Oh, hey, that gives me an amazing idea!" Yamato grins. "How about later – once everyone's here and the party's in full swing – we all try and make a cocktail each? Like as a competition kinda deal!"

"What would the prize be?" I wonder.

"Exemption from cleaning duty for the rest of the week?" Yamato suggests.

"Doesn't this give you an unfair advantage, Mr 'Nagai Special punch'?" Haru points out.

"I mean… I'll be real with you," Yamato says sheepishly, "it's mostly improvised."

"Oh, you do surprise me!" Masashi drawls sarcastically.

"Well, y'know what, to hell with it, let's do it," Haru shrugs.

"I wonder if any of the girls have made cocktails before," Yamato says, stroking his chin. "I'd reckon Kimi and Blessing are more the kinda girls who get drinks poured for 'em!"

"Well, I guess we'll find out later – if they're gonna take part, of course," I say.

"Until then, we'd better get a move on," Yamato says, "or Daisuke will kick our asses when he gets back."

"I don't think you have much to worry about," I say, nodding over towards the door, where Miniro is just making his way out. "Miniro's off to find him by the looks of it."

"Good, that should buy us a while," Haru nods. "It isn't gonna do itself."

* * *

A few hours later, the preparation is all done. I'm back in my room, having just went for another quick shower just to freshen myself up after all the heavy lifting and stuff. It kind of sucks that all I have available to wear is multiples of the same outfit. I'd packed my favourite purple shirt amongst all the other stuff I'd arrived at this castle with, but now that was probably locked away in some secret warehouse that only Monokuma can get into, along with all my other personal belongings.

The thought makes me feel a little uneasy – I mean, I'm still weirded out that someone had to touch my clothes to put them in this room in the first place – but I shake my head and try and dismiss the thought, trying to distract myself by taming my hair a little. Kimi had burst into the ballroom earlier and thrown a bundle of hair and skin care products at us, informing us that if we didn't make any effort she would be 'beyond furious, do you understand me?'.

Still, my hair and skin smells of blueberry and watermelon now so that's quite nice.

After trying – and failing – to tame a particular tuft of hair on top of my head, I step back and check my reflection in the full-length mirror. I do look a little less shabby than I have lately, I guess. I've got a little colour back in my face, and the bags under my eyes have already faded a little too.

I spend a few minutes trying to decide whether or not to wear my tie – in the end I keep it on, but I make sure and leave my top few shirt buttons undone so I don't look too formal.

Fairly satisfied I was tidy – but not too tidy – I reach into my pocket and pull out my ElectroID, swiping its screen so I can check the time. Turns out I have about two minutes til I'm due to meet the other guys in the Common Room for a few pre-drinks – I hadn't realised it was that late already, jeez!

I stuff the ElectroID back into my pocket and back out of the bathroom, switching the light off on my way. My trainers are by the door, and it takes me just a second to slip into them. I take one last look around my room, more as a force of habit, as if I'm checking for my phone or wallet or something, but of course, there's nothing to pick up, and – shaking my head – I close the door behind me as I step out into the Dormitory Corridor.

* * *

Yamato and Haru are both already sitting down in the Common Room when I arrive, each holding a green glass bottle. Yamato chucks one my way as soon as he sees me and I yelp with surprise, only just catching the bottle in time.

"Whoops, my bad!" he says, snorting with laughter. "Bottle opener's on the table."

My favoured seat is a little too far away from them both, so I sit at the opposite end of the couch from where I usually would, and pop the lid off with the stainless-steel bottle opener. On closer inspection, I see a small Monokuma face is engraved in the handle, and I roll my eyes before I take my first sip from the bottle. It's kind of bitter, but there's a kind of zesty taste to it that I really like.

Yamato's hair is the flattest I've ever seen it – he's somehow managed to tame it enough that it still has all the volume, just without all the chaos. It sparkles a little in the light from the fire, and I wonder whether he's used some kind of glittery hairspray. Haru, on the other hand, doesn't appear to have done anything different at first glance, but then I notice that he's not wearing his uniform jumper under his coat like he usually does. There's something kind of effortless about him where he seems to look good despite… not really doing anything. Some people are just blessed like that, I guess.

"I was just saying to Haru," Yamato says, "there's not really anything special about doing a pre-drink or whatever, but I noticed a few bottles of prosecco and wine were already missing, and I bumped into Blessing when she was going to the bathroom – she told me Kimi and Ino had went and got them before we got there at lunchtime, so it looks like the girls have got a big headstart on us as it is."

"So they're all gonna be wrecked before the party even starts?" I laugh. "That seems a bit counterproductive."

"Nah, between the five of 'em, they'll probably be okay," Yamato says, shaking his head. "I mean, unless they're lightweights."

"I'm probably gonna be a bit of a lightweight," I admit. "I've not been drunk much before."

"Ooh, this should be fun then," Yamato chuckles, glugging down the last of the beer from his bottle and cracking open another. I glance at Haru, who just offers me one of his usual enigmatic facial expressions and shrugs. He's not drank much of his own beer so far.

A few seconds later, we're joined by Hikaru and Masashi. Masashi is actually wearing his hair down for once, and the way his bangs fall frame his face in a way that makes him appear far less grim and unapproachable. Hikaru looks pretty great too – he's done the opposite of Masashi, and tied some of his hair back into a short ponytail. He's only opted for one bobby pin tonight too, and there's something about the way he looks that puts me in mind of a character from an RPG I'd loved when I was a little younger.

"Lookin' sharp, guys!" Yamato says, nodding approvingly.

"I said to Daisuke and Miniro, like you asked," Hikaru tells Yamato, taking the beer that's already held out for him. "But they said they'd just get us up there. They want to make sure everything is perfect, I guess."

"Maybe they're just making the most of the calm before the storm," Masashi says, popping the lid off of his bottle. He takes a sip and then pulls a face. "Oh, god… that's... something."

"Yeah, tastes like cat piss but it gets you started," Yamato laughs, taking another swig.

"I thought it tasted alright," I admit.

"Oh, god, we need to get this boy a cocktail," Yamato says, looking at me with mock sympathy. "If that tastes good to you, you're in for a treat."

"Of all the things I thought would happen when I arrived here," Hikaru says, "getting drunk was not one of them. But, hey, I'm not complaining."

"I think I'll wait until we get upstairs," Masashi says. "Here, Kei." He shoves the bottle into my hand. "I'd rather have wine."

"Pace yourself," Haru tells me as I finish my first bottle. "Especially if you're not used to drinking."

"I'm starting to think I'm the only one who isn't," I admit. "Do you guys do this at home like… often?"

"I like the occasional drink," Haru shrugs. "I prefer vodka to be honest."

"You're in luck then," Yamato beams. "There's plenty upstairs!"

"It's still kinda surreal to me," Hikaru says, "like… having all that booze there. I get that this place was meant to be like a whole other world from normal high schools, but still."

I nod my agreement. "Well, it's a learning opportunity, huh?"

"Don't make it nerdy, man!" Yamato protests. "Tonight is all about relaxing and having fun, yup!"

"For tonight we might die," Masashi murmurs, quietly. I raise an eyebrow at him and he looks back at me blankly for a second. "Oh, it's a quote I remember reading somewhere. Not very appropriate, I admit…"

"Yeah, well, less of that," Yamato agrees, frowning at him. There's already the slightest little slur in his voice. With a smile, I find myself wondering if he's as used to getting drunk as he made out.

* * *

Music is already playing from the ballroom as we make our way along the Fifth Floor corridor. It's some slow kind of house music, all bass and build up. After three beers, I feel a little tipsy, but I don't really have it in me to be anxious about it. Like Yamato said, tonight's about relaxing – and I think we've earned that after all we've been through.

My body feels a little lighter than normal, I notice as I walk along behind Hikaru and Yamato. There's a weird kind of warm feeling as well, and it's not an unpleasant sensation. I realise I've not actually ate since this morning though, which could explain why it hasn't taken long for me to get to this stage.

The ballroom doors are wide open, and bright, jagged lights spin and spill out of them from within, appearing in fragments and patches of colour on the walls and floor as we approach. The music is changing too, with the pulsing house music fading away to an electronic violin screech. It reverberates through the walls, and through my body for a few long moments, and then the bass drops, changing to a high-energy dance track.

Hikaru's efforts with the lighting wasn't in vain, I notice. None of the main lights are on, but there are enough bright spotlights and multi-coloured beams, including one reflecting off an enormous glitterball suspended from the centre of the ceiling, sending small squares of white light bouncing off of every surface like shooting stars.

The girls are all already here. Even with the club-style lighting, it's pretty clear to see they all look incredible. Whatever witchcraft Kimi and Yuki performed yesterday, they amped up to eleven for tonight. I find myself gravitating over to Mitsu up at the bar, sipping kind of half-heartedly at some sort of cocktail which was either purple and pink in colour, or dark green and blue depending on the lighting.

"You scrub up well," she comments with a small smile as I prop myself on the bar with my elbows.

"Thank you," I grin. "You don't look too bad either."

Yuki's clearly been hard at work with the hair dye again, as Mitsu's green streaks and highlights have been replaced with a sort of caramel colour with part of it styled in a braid that tucks behind her ear.

"The hair and make-up stuff isn't really my thing," she says, "but it feels like a nice change. Kind of makes tonight feel more special… or something."

"Or something," I chuckle. "But yeah, you look great! What's that you're drinking anyway?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," she admits. "Kimi asked Miniro to make a batch of it up based on some cocktail recipe she tried at some make-up company launch event thing. It tastes like a fruit basket got in a fight with a bath bomb. Wanna try some?"

"With that glowing review, how could I not?" I laugh. She grabs a cup from the bar and ladles some of the stuff from a large punch bowl before handing it to me.

"Bottoms up," she says, tapping her plastic cup gently against mine in a mock toast. I take a deep gulp of the weird, perfumed booze and feel the inside of my mouth tighten as it goes down. What was it Mitsu had described it as? A fruit basket got into a fight with a bath bomb – yeah, sounds about right…

"Your face!" she smirks. "You look like you've just bit into a lemon."

"I feel like I just have," I grimace, "except the lemon was full of fire."

She laughs, "Yeah, that sounds about right." She looks over my shoulder and smiles, fondly. "Oh, we've got the first dancers of the night, it'd seem."

I turn on the spot to see Blessing and Yuki in the middle of the floor, dragging a protesting Hikaru along with them. They both look pretty amazing – Blessing's hair has been meticulously braided, and glittery beads dance around her head as she throws her head back to the music. It looks like she's borrowed one of Kimi's blouses for tonight too, as opposed to her usual uniform, and the colours really stand out along with the dark red eye makeup she's got on.

Yuki's own hair is no longer a mane! It's long and smooth, most of it framing her face, while the rest is styled in some elaborate kind of high ponytail. She's somehow convinced Kimi to give her mismatched colours with her eye makeup. She's even got some kind of rhinestone thing going along her eyebrows like a popstar or something!

Once again, I find myself totally blown away by Kimi and Yuki's combined efforts – they're like artists!

"It is pretty impressive," Mitsu says, as if reading my mind. "I mean, they were able to work on us three, and each other pretty much simultaneously. I could barely drink the prosecco they'd brought because I was too mesmerized."

"I think it's cool that we've all had a chance to do this," I say to her. "We get to pretend to be actual teenagers for a while."

"Including underage drinking," she points out. "This is clearly our rebellious phase starting."

"Ah, that'll be it," I laugh, taking another sip of the weird cocktail stuff and almost managing to conceal my wince.

I look around to see what the others are doing. Blessing, Yuki, and Hikaru are doing what looks a lot like a tribute to the dancing scene from The Breakfast Club in the middle of the floor – despite the song not matching at all. Haru and Miniro appear to be having a conversation by the music equipment, while Daisuke is pointing out what's what on the food tables for Kimi and Ino. Meanwhile, Masashi is squinting at the labels on some of the wine bottles that have been left out at the far end of the bar while Yamato is yammering something in his ear about different flavours of vodka he's been dying to try.

"All in all, it's looking like a good night," Mitsu says to me.

"Let's hope we remember it in the morning," I smirk, firing the last of the cocktail down my neck and turning back to the bar to see what else there is to try. I've got a nice buzz from the booze now, but I just want something that'll take the taste of that particular concoction away.

"Don't ask Yamato for suggestions," Mitsu warns me. "I overheard him recommending tequila to Daisuke earlier this afternoon."

"Tequila? Isn't that like… battery acid?" I laugh.

"Well, only if they've started selling it in glass bottles," she says, pointing out a sort of gold-coloured liquid in a bottle behind the bar. "I was going to hide it just in case, but I thought that would be unfair on those of us with common sense."

"Have you tried it before?" I ask. The music's changed a few times, but I recognise the song that's playing now – a club mix of a song I remember my mom listens to on some compilation CD she's had for as long as I can remember.

Mitsu nods. "It's… pretty strong."

"Is it nice?" I ask her. A tiny, sober part of me is going: please just leave it be. But the larger, tipsier part of me is yelling: it's a party – try it!

Obviously, Mitsu's probably having the same internal conflict for a second, because she looks like she's thinking about her answer, and then… before I realise it, she's reached across the bar and brought the bottle over. There's a few plastic shot glasses on the bar too, and she quickly pours even amounts into two of them.

"Is there a salt shaker anywhere?" she asks me.

"I think we brought a couple up from the Kitchen earlier," I nod, a little confused. "Why though?"

"We need some salt and a slice of lime ea-"

"Woah! Are you guys doing tequila shots?!" Yamato's voice cuts in and he throws himself in between us, rubbing his hands together excitedly. It seems like he's probably a little drunker than me at this point. "You got the salt and lime?"

"We were just checking for that," Mitsu says. "There should be limes behind the bar, right?"

"C'mon, barkeep!" Yamato says, shooing me around the bar. "If anyone's gonna find… bar stuff, it's Kei!"

As I start to fumble around beneath the bar, a little bemused, I suddenly hear him yell, "Hey, guys! Guys! We're gonna do tequila shots! Who's all game?"

I rise from beneath the bar, having found a few limes in a cooler. Mitsu catches my eye and her expression pretty much says 'god help us', as Yamato goes to work pouring out a few more tequila shots for the others who are gathering around the other side of the bar. I quickly get to cutting up the limes, while I hear someone slur, "Oh, I've got a salt shaker!"

When I'm done, I place the plate of lime slices up on the bar. The small group gathered around now includes Hikaru, Yuki, Blessing, Kimi, and Miniro.

"Okay, I know some of you've probably never done this before, so just do what I'm doing," Yamato says, losing his balance slightly and nudging over the remains of Mitsu's cup of that weird punch stuff.

"Or just do what I'm doing," Mitsu says with a weary smile. She licks a small part of the back of her left hand then shakes a little bit of salt onto it, then picks up a slice of lime with the same hand. Then, she picks the tequila shot up with her right hand. We all follow suit, taking turns to pass around the salt shaker. Once we're all done, Mitsu nods approvingly.

"Okay, fellow underage drinkers," she says, "now first you lick the salt off your hand, then you take the shot, then you bite into the lime, got it?"

"Salt, shot, lime," I repeat back. Easy, right?

"Okay, count of three then!" Yuki yells. "Special birthday tequila powers go! One, two, three, go!"

I lick at the salt on the back of my hand, then throw the tequila back right after it. I've never tasted anything like it in my life! If that weird cocktail thing I'd had before was lethal, this was just instant death in liquid form! It was hot and burning down my throat and I felt myself involuntarily gag, but then I remembered the lime, and I sunk my teeth into it as quickly as possible. Instantly, the bitter citrus taste filled my mouth and I nearly gasped in relief. My eyes were watering a little, and I blinked the water away to see pretty much everyone else had reacted the same way as I had, with the exception of Miniro and Mitsu.

"That was… vile," Hikaru giggles, catching my gaze as he drops the remains of his slice of lime onto the empty plate on the bar. I find myself giggling as well, as the booze really starts to kick in. The inside of my mouth feels too hot for a few seconds, like when the cold air bites at you on a winter morning.

"Maybe just stick to special birthday other alcohol powers, huh?" Miniro tells Yuki, who is still grimacing and trying to flick the last little bit of salt off of the back of her hand.

"Maybe," she croaks, nodding in agreement. "I think I'll just go back to that nice bubbly stuff we had earlier."

* * *

I can easily say I've never experienced a night like this before in my entire life. Every so often I find myself drifting to the dancefloor with one or two, or all of the others, either making up a dodgy attempt at a dance, or roaring out the lyrics to the songs I recognised while Yamato dramatically ran around me in circles yelling backing vocals and playing air guitar.

In between the bouts of singing and dancing I'd end up either over at the bar, pouring drinks for myself or whoever else was nearby, and then migrating over towards the food tables for a bit, picking at cubes of spiced meat or vegetable assortments with dips, or potato chips, and at one point, an amazing slice of cake that Daisuke had prepared earlier that afternoon all by himself.

At one point, Hikaru had faded the music down, and then changed the track to start playing 'Happy Birthday', and we'd all sang in chorus to Yuki, who had convinced Miniro to lift her up so she was above us all, crying with laughter as Yamato trapped Daisuke and Masashi in a crushing bear hug and sang the words completely out of time with everyone else.

At one point, I'd caught Monokuma crouched behind the bar, trying to assemble another cocktail, and I managed to 'accidentally' spill the last of Kimi's gross punch onto him. He'd yelled something about his fur being expensive to dry clean, and how I'd be footing the bill if he didn't just execute me, but by now I was too drunk and too happy to care at all about anything Monokuma had to say. He'd stumbled off, sticky and in a rage, and we didn't see him again for the rest of the night.

And then, as the hours ticked away and things started to die down, there was the games…

Yamato hadn't quite got beer pong like he'd suggested, but we did end up playing a game called Ring of Fire that Miniro remembered from some of the crewmen aboard ships he'd been on. By now, the twelve of us were seated on the floor in the middle of the ballroom, drinks in hands and knees just touching. In the centre of the circle we'd formed, there was an empty pint tumbler, and around the tumbler were a pack of cards, laid face down and in a circle around the glass. The music's been turned down to a low background volume, and the lights have been turned up enough that we can see what we're doing. I keep finding myself bobbing my head along to the music – some electronic stuff I'd never heard before.

If I wasn't before the first few cards, I'm pretty wasted now. And I'm not the only one! Looking round the circle, just after Ino picks up a 5 of Hearts and all the girls have to drink, everyone looks drunk as hell, even – to my surprise – Daisuke and Masashi! Daisuke is hiccupping, and he's leaning against Miniro, his head barely reaching the sailor's shoulder. His hair is mussed up a little from all the dancing, but there's a strange serenity to his expression as he takes in his surroundings.

"Okay, your turn, Yuki!" Miniro says. Beside me, Yuki cheers, scrabbles forward, and picks up a card from the floor, keeping it just hidden enough that we can't see it at first. Then she turns it round with a dramatic flourish.

"Jack off Spades!" Yamato hiccoughs.

"Jack off?!" echoes Daisuke, looking a little confused. To my side, Yuki suddenly shrieks with laughter. I find myself bent over, joining in the varying degrees of amusement. When I can finally sit up again, I could swear I even see Masashi wiping a tear of laughter away from the corner of his eye.

"Anyway…" Mitsu says with a faint smile, "what does the Jack mean, Miniro?"

"Well, it's the first Jack chosen," Miniro says, "which means Yuki get to make up one rule for what happens when the other three Jacks are picked!"

What can only be described as an evil grin suddenly appears on Yuki's face.

"Nothing explicit, Yuki," warns Mitsu.

"Ugh, don't be boring, Mitsu!" she whines. Mitsu meets her gaze across the circle and Yuki deflates. "Oh, alright then! Damn, it's meant to be my birthday…"

"Not anymore," Haru points out. "It's past 1am."

"Oh, my!" Blessing says, "I didn't realise how quickly the time had gone by!"

"Well, the night is shtill… shtill… still young!" Yamato says, his head swaying from side to side now. He raises his glass and manages to spill a little down his shirt.

"Maybe we should start winding down," Hikaru suggests, reasonably.

"No way!" whines Yuki. "I was just about to choose my rule!"

"I guess it can't take too long, right?" I shrug, trying to remember how to blink both eyes at the same time. My vision's bleary as hell, but after rubbing at them a little I can see a little better again, even if the room is kind of starting to spin.

"Well, once the fourth King card is found, it's game over," Miniro says. "It's up to you guys!"

"I think I might call it quits," Masashi says. "As… interesting as tonight has been, I think I might have pushed my limits a little."

"And I think I could do with switching to water for the rest of the night," Haru admits.

"Oh, do not be so weak!" Kimi cackles, knocking back some of the prosecco straight from the bottle she'd had at her side. "Surely now we have begun, we can't call it quits!"

"W-well, it can't hurt to keep g-going," Daisuke says, his voice slurring a little.

"Are you sure you haven't had enough?" Miniro smiles. Daisuke manages a fairly bad attempt at a shrug.

"I'm n-not as weak as I look, Mr Shirane," he says with a wobbly grin.

"And Miniro, you're the only one who knows all the rules," points out Haru.

"So we're all still in the game then?" Hikaru asks.

"Til the end, I guess," Ino shrugs. "Let's get even more wasted."

"Good!" Yuki beams, throwing her arms in the air. Then, her smile twists into another wicked grin. "Because I've just decided on the Jack rule!"

* * *

The music's mellowed down now – kind of dreamy burbles of electronica, interspersed with fingers clicking along to the beat, and the lazy strums of a guitar. A woman's vocals quietly murmur to the Ballroom as the night reaches its final act.

After the fairly ridiculous and unfathomable Ring of Fire game, a few of the others had decided to call it quits. Daisuke and Miniro were the first to call it a night, with Daisuke going out of his way to hug everyone good night and thank us all for our efforts. Even then, he somehow managed to look even more elated when Miniro took his hand in his and they made their way out of the Ballroom.

After them was Kimi, Blessing, and Mitsu. Kimi was easily the most wrecked out of the three – though she still insisted on having another drink of peach schnapps before Mitsu was able to prise it out of her talon-like fingers and hand Hikaru the bottle.

"Blessing and I will make sure she gets to bed okay," Mitsu tells us. "See you tomorrow at some point, presumably."

"If the hangovers don't kill us," I chuckle, feeling my head droop slightly as I wave Mitsu goodbye. I'm suddenly very aware that I need to pee.

"Ugh, that's a thought!" groans Hikaru.

"Don't be… la-lame, guys!" Yamato says, before letting out an enormous burp. He looks like he's fell off the ceiling into his chair, one leg cocked over the arm. He grabs the schnapps from Hikaru and takes a long drink, before pulling a face. "Oh god, no, not for me…"

"Luckily it is for me," Hikaru beams, taking it back off of him. I look over to see Yuki and Ino making their way out of the Ballroom doors now.

"Oh, g'night, you two!" I call over.

"Yeah, goodnight, bye," Ino says, hurriedly, disappearing around the corner. I could swear Yuki winks back at me as she disappears after her.

"Just us left then," Haru says. I realise Masashi is also still here, though he appears to have fell into a kind of quiet spell, gazing intently into the pint of water Haru had placed in front of him. Haru had been pretty consistently drinking water, so out of the rest of us he was easily the soberest. Even still, I could see that kind of lazy drunk smile playing on his face. Suddenly I feel something cold prod me in the cheek and I turn with a start.

Beside me, Hikaru chokes with laughter at my reaction – he was trying to offer me the schnapps bottle. I stick my tongue out at him and take the bottle from him, sniffing at it cautiously.

It smells nice and sweet. Very… peachy, in my not so professional opinion.

I take an experimental taste and I'm pleasantly surprised. At first, I expected it to be like the tequila – of which I'd definitely had a few too many. I could already feel the beginning of some lethal heartburn. But this stuff was really nice – sweet and sticky – and not like drinking fire, which was pretty much what I'd equate most of the booze I'd experienced tonight to.

"I think it's time to make tracks, guys," Haru says after a few minutes of companionable quiet, during which time I realise I've started slumping against Hikaru as we pass round the schnapps. "We can make a start on cleaning this place once we're all awake in the morning."

"Ugh, dude, don't talk about cleaning up," Yamato groans. "Or being awake… I plan on sleeping all day tomorrow."

"Well, we'll see how that plan goes," Hikaru chuckles. Then, with a sigh, he starts to rise from his seat. This sudden change in altitude catches me offguard and I flail a little as I try to stay upright, only to fall off my chair onto my ass.

"Kei, are you okay?" Hikaru asks. I hear a chair scraping as Haru gets up, and between the two of them, they pick me up from the floor. I take one look at them both with their near-identical looks of concern, and snicker a little.

"What are you laughing at?" Hikaru says, looking a little confused.

"I'm not okay," I tell him, suddenly very seriously, and then my face breaks out into a grin. "I'm… O-Kei."

"That was… possibly the least funniest thing I've ever heard in my life," Masashi grunts tiredly from further down the table. And suddenly, we're all howling with laughter.

"So stupid," Haru snorts, still smiling. "But seriously, get to bed."

"Ugh, okay, mom!" Hikaru teases, sticking his tongue out at him. He takes another drink from the schnapps bottle and then hands it to me again. I go to take another sip, only to discover the bottle is pretty much dead – just two little solitary dribbles of schnapps fall onto my tongue.

"Aw, lame…"

"Can I trust you all to make it downstairs without breaking your necks?" Haru asks.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I've got my carer!" I say, poking at Hikaru's shoulder.

"Well, you better get going then," he says. "I'll hang back and make sure all the music and lights and whatever are switched off properly."

"Just leave it to Monokuma," Yamato says. "Shitbag might as well make himself useful."

"I think he might be sulking," I admit.

"Ugh, whatever," grumbles Yamato. "Let's get going."

"Good idea," I nod, slurring a little. My feet seem to want to tap-dance as I take a step, but I just about keep them in control by propping myself against Hikaru, who slides his hand just under the crook of my arm to support me. "Onwards!" I cheer.

"Yessir!" Hikaru says, and we start stumbling our way towards the door. We're just about there when we realise the other three haven't moved.

"Uh, you guys coming?"

"In a minute," groans Masashi.

"Yeah, just gimme a s- oh god…" Yamato goes to stand, only for his face to turn ash-white.

"Oh, don't you dare!" Haru yells, grabbing an empty punchbowl from the table and thrusting it into Yamato's arms just a split second before –

"Anyway!" I say, as loudly as I can while I try and block out the sound of Yamato retching his guts up. "Um, see you guys later?"

For a second Haru looks like he's going to protest, but then he seems to resign himself to it and says, "Yeah, you two might as well go ahead. I'll make sure Sleepy and Sicky get down okay. Night."

I manage a drunk little wave in his direction and then let Hikaru lead me out the door and down the corridor.

"I'm pretty sure Ino and Yuki are… y'know…" he says, conversationally as we make our way towards the Fifth Floor Landing. From behind us, I hear the music cut out with a brief roar of white noise.

"Are what?" I prompt him. He looks at me with raised eyebrows as if to say, 'you know what I mean'. Realisation dawns. "Oh… that."

"Yeah. I mean, the way they kinda rushed out and stuff seemed a bit… y'know…"

"You seem to know," I tease him, nudging him gently.

"Well, it's a… a lovely evening for it!" he says, sending us both into a fit of giggles. "I didn't really expect Ino to be into girls, if I'm honest."

"I don't really know what most people here are into," I say. "I like peach schnapps though. I'm into that."

"Yes, well, maybe a bit too much," Hikaru murmurs. I close my eyes and yawn widely, only for it to turn into a groan.

"Do you think we could just all sleep here?" I ask, already nodding off. "I mean… it's a lot of stairs."

"Don't worry," I hear Hikaru laugh, "we'll get back to the Common Room in just a minute."

"Ugh, longest minute of my life," I murmur, losing my footing slightly and bumping my hip off of a table. "Ignore that! I didn't do that! Shhhhhh…"

I point at the table and wrinkle my nose at it, before I turn to Hikaru.

"Can we keep going? I don't want to lose my dignity by fighting with a table."

"Very good choice," he nods, wisely. "The table wouldn't stand a chance."

* * *

The journey down to the Common Room seems to last forever. Or no time at all, depending on the position of the moon and the stars and whether or not I need to tie my shoelace. Wait, no, that's not how time works.

God, I'm drunk.

Hikaru's drunk too, but he seems to have just reached a phase where it's made him extremely tranquil and relaxed. He hums a little under his breath as he gently steers me along corridors, occasionally having to double back when I've stumbled down a side passage, or stopped to admire a particularly stupid painting – "That's a mirror, Kei."

But finally, the eight hundred flights of stairs come to an end, and I'm drifting along the corridor to the Common Room. I look out the window only to see snow. So much snow. Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow.

"It's snowing," I point out to Hikaru.

"It is," he confirms. "Do you think it's a storm?"

"I think it's snow," I say, knowledgeably.

"I think you might be right," he giggles.

We stop and gaze out at it for a few minutes, and at one point I feel his head droop and press itself against my right shoulder. I reach up with my left hand and pat his head playfully, watching the way drunk-Kei-in-the-window reaches up and does the same to drunk-Hikaru-in-the-mirror.

"C'mon," I say, eventually. "If I don't get to bed soon I'm gonna cry."

"Bed sounds good," he agrees, lifting his head off my shoulder and straightening up.

I go to turn round, but he cuts me off, and suddenly we're face-to-face, almost nose-to-nose. His, big, sad eyes are kind of glazed over, like he's ready to just close them. His breath is warm and sweet against my face – the ghost of peach schnapps teasing me. I close my eyes and I can still taste it.

I can still taste it…

It's all I can think about. In that weird drunk haze, with the pale blue light casting long, dark shadows over my world, there's me, there's Hikaru… and there's a thousand things that could be happening, but they aren't… there's just the here and the now.

And then we're walking through the Common Room and the stairs are in sight. One last flight of stairs separating me from...

From whatever happens next…

And I can still taste the schnapps…

* * *

 **12 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	22. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (VI)

I wake with a start, totally disorientated. My body's too heavy to move; head too heavy to lift. There's a ceiling above me somewhere, probably. If my eyes were working I could tell for definite.

With painful slowness, I raise my hands to my eyes and rub them. For a few seconds, everything is weird and out of focus, but then it snaps back into place.

Yep, definitely a ceiling. My dormitory room ceiling.

Everything that happened last night crashes into my thoughts like a tidal wave. The tequila. The dancing. The drinking games. The peach schnapps…

Suddenly in a panic, I turn around, half-expecting to see… well…

I'm the only one in my bed.

Part of me can't decide whether that's a good thing.

Focus on something else…

The hangover is surprisingly minimal. I have the slightest headache tapping out a beat against my temples, and I could easily drink a swimming pool's worth of water right now, but besides that I'm really not as bad as I probably have every right to be. My legs are a little sore too, from all the dancing no doubt, and I slide the bedcovers down to see a rather nasty bruise on my hip, just visible above the waistband of my underwear. That'll be from my dramatic battle with that table, I guess…

I smack my lips together a little. They feel dry as hell. And the taste of peach schnapps is well and truly gone. My mouth tastes sour from all the booze, so as soon as I can remember how to move I'll be going to brush my teeth and grab a shower.

I haven't even seen the time yet, and my curtains are closed shut, so it's difficult to make out, though I'm pretty certain I've slept in past Monokuma's Morning Announcement.

I go to reach for my ElectroID on the bedside table, but it doesn't seem to be there. Frowning, I prop myself up a bit. The rest of my clothes had been discarded on the floor, I was sure, but now they were all folded in a neat pile on top of the desk in the corner of the room with my ElectroID on top. Did I do that? I honestly can't remember…

About five minutes after I decide to get out of bed, my body finally agrees with me, and I'm able to throw the covers back, wincing a little as the cold air hits my body. I cross the room at superhuman speed, grab the ElectroID and my hoodie, then launch myself back into the warmth of my bed again, cocooning myself in the covers.

Okay, this could be a long morning.

Except… it isn't morning.

It's 1pm.

I can't remember the last time I've slept in that late – jeez… I wonder if the others are all still in bed. I could imagine one or two of them are probably gonna be out for the count for at least another few hours. Hell, part of me is tempted just to go back to sleep as it is.

My mouth and stomach disagree though, and I decide that getting cleaned up and then fed is the best plan of action. I pull my hoodie on and then throw the covers back again. This time, only my bare legs face the arctic winds of room temperature, and I'm quick as I possibly can, zipping across to my wardrobe for clean clothes.

A few minutes later, I'm under the near-heavenly blast of the shower. I'm convinced nothing has made me feel this content in my life as I let the water crash over me, washing away my aches and pains.

Bliss…

I take way longer in there than I'd intended, but it feels like it's worth it by the time I come out, fully dressed and ready for food.

Slipping my ElectroID into my pocket, I step out of my room, and head off downstairs to sort myself some food.

* * *

"Oh, we've got another one!" I hear a voice call as I make my way through the doors into the Dining Hall. I look down our usual long table to see Mitsu, Masashi, Haru, Blessing, Kimi, and Miniro are gathered – all looking pretty fresh-faced.

"How are you feeling?" Haru asks me, sliding a large glass of ice-cold water towards me. I take it gratefully, and take a long, deep drink.

"A million times better for that," I tell him. "You're all looking chipper."

"I don't tend to get hangovers," Masashi shrugs.

"I am afraid I cannot say the same," Kimi groans. "I barely had the strength to make myself presentable this morning.

Of course, as per usual, she looks amazing… I know better than to comment though.

"I think we all ate a fair amount last night to kind of balance it out," Mitsu says. "You don't seem too bad either."

"Bit of a headache," I admit, "but besides that I think all I need is food."

"We all just finished eating," Blessing says, apologetically. "We didn't expect anyone else to show up at this time – I'm sorry!"

"Ah, no worries," I laugh. "You guys weren't to know. I'll jump down to the Kitchen and sort myself some food in a sec."

"Did someone say 'food'?"

I turn around at the familiar voice to see Hikaru walking in. His hair is back to its usual wild tangle, despite the several bobby pins struggling to keep it in place. We share shy smiles as he sits down across from me. When I look back at the others I see this hasn't gone unnoticed and automatically, I feel my face start to burn.

"So…" Haru says, drawing the word out for a few seconds, "did everyone enjoy last night?"

"Some more than others, apparently," murmurs Masashi with a slight grin. I choke on my water, and wave away Blessing's concerns, trying to communicate that I'm alright, despite coughing up a sudden lungful of water.

"I think Yuki really enjoyed herself," Hikaru says with a smile, apparently completely unaware of what we're talking about. "She kept yelling at me that it was the best birthday she'd ever had."

"And that was before she disappeared with Ino," smirks Masashi.

"Oh, jeez, yeah, I forgot about that!" Hikaru cries.

"Well, you had other things on your mind, I suppose," Mitsu says, completely deadpan. I suddenly regret not just sleeping the rest of the day…

"Speaking of those two," Kimi says, "I'm surprised neither of them have shown up yet."

"Guess it depends what happened after they left," shrugs Haru. "Plus, we're still missing a few others. I reckon we'll be lucky if we see Yamato before next month. He ended up disappearing after he threw up everywhere last night."

"I checked on Daisuke a little earlier," Miniro says with a small smile. "He's feeling very delicate today so he's decided just to go back to bed."

"Understandable," I laugh. "I never expected him to drink like… at all!"

"He practically drank Yamato under the table," chuckles Miniro. "I was quite worried about him, but he was drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of food in between."

"So, just a kinda kick in the ass hangover," nods Hikaru. "I actually feel pretty good today, surprisingly. I was expecting to be in a real mess when I got up."

"Well, someone was likely to b-"

"Anyway," I say, cutting across Haru's attempt at a dig, "I think we can all agree last night was a total success. There was no fuss, no drama, and we all had a really great time."

"It's a pity we didn't have our phones," Hikaru says, twirling a strand of hair. "We could've got loads of pictures."

"Including one of Yamato throwing up in a punchbowl?" I suggest.

"Oh, definitely," he grins.

"Definitely not," Haru says with a shudder. "I think I've seen enough of that to do me for a lifetime."

"It was… kinda funny," I admit.

"For you, maybe…"

* * *

After my late lunch, I decide to go back up to my room and put my head down for another few hours. I feel full, and I reckon a nap would do me the world of good. As I pass through the Entrance Hall on my way back to the Common Room, I notice that Monokuma's countdown is over.

"That's right…" I hear a voice murmur behind me. I turn around to see Haru gazing up at the screen that now displayed a row of zeroes. He's rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. "The countdown would have finished at nine this morning, right?"

"That sounds about right," I agree. "I'm surprised Monokuma hasn't made an announcement yet."

"Maybe he's still sulking," Haru says. "Either that or he knows that the others are probably too hungover to even leave their rooms."

"That's true," I laugh. "Well, the less we see of him, the better, in my book."

"Can't say I disagree," Haru nods. "Anyway, I'm going for a walk to clear my head. I'll see you later."

I wave him goodbye and set back off again, too distracted by thoughts of going back to bed to worry about anything else.

Soon enough, I'm back in bed, and falling into a deep sleep…

* * *

 _BZZZZZZZZZZZZRRRRKRKTTTT!_

The painful drone of my intercom wakes me in a panic, and I practically throw myself out of bed, quickly pulling on my jeans as I rush to answer my insistent caller, who is apparently just holding down the button for good measure now.

I wrench the door open to find Mitsu, Hikaru, and Blessing.

"You're alright!" Hikaru cries.

"Shouldn't I be?" I frown, still trying to properly wake up.

"We were just a little worried," Blessing explains. "Miniro came to check on Daisuke but he didn't get any answer. And we can't seem to get any response from Yuki or Yamato either."

"Have you checked the map on the ElectroID?" I ask, stepping back from the door to pull my trainers on.

Mitsu nods. "I checked after we'd tried to get an answer from them. The Map says they're all in their rooms. Or at least their ElectroIDs are."

"They wouldn't have all gone out without them surely?" I frown.

"It's possible," Hikaru says. "But pretty unlikely. Miniro wanted to break Daisuke's door down but the whole 'destruction of school property' thing, y'know?"

"Right," I nod, stepping out into the corridor. I have my hoodie on again, and my own ElectroID is in my pocket as usual. "What's the plan then?"

"Well, Haru and Masashi have already gone off to search for them," Mitsu says. "Kimi, Miniro, and Ino are at the others' doors, trying to get a response. We didn't want to leave you out of the loop."

"And we wanted to make sure you were okay," Hikaru adds.

"Yeah, thanks," I nod. "Do you know whereabouts the other two are searching then, if we're all splitting up?"

"I think they're checking out the Fourth and Fifth Floors, because we didn't pass them on the Ground Floor or anything," Blessing says.

"There's the Grounds and the Upper Castle areas to try as well," Hikaru says, "but we didn't really get as far as deciding who'd go where."

"I'll take the Grounds," Mitsu says. "That leaves the three lower floors to you three."

"Well, how about Hikaru and I cover the First, Second, and Third Floors between us, and Kei can check out the Upper Castle?" Blessing suggests.

"Sounds good to me," Hikaru nods.

"Sure thing," I agree."

And with our battleplan decided, we make our way downstairs, across the Common Room, and down towards the Entrance Hall, where we all part ways.

* * *

My search of the Upper Castle doesn't seem to be of much success. I make my way along the frosty ramparts, pulling my hoodie around myself a little tighter as I do. Then, once I reach the little archway that leads into the staircases, I decide to try upstairs first. Stepping out into the Covered Courtyard, I'm greeted with absolutely no sign that anybody's been there at all since my last visit.

Nevertheless, I decide to search the corridors and rooms one-by-one, calling out, "Yuki? Daisuke? Yamato?" every so often. To no avail.

I hadn't realised just how late it was at first, but as I make my way back across the Covered Courtyard, I look up to see the sky darkening to lilac. The clouds from the previous night's snowstorm have cleared, it would seem, and stars are beginning to appear across the great blanket of clear sky.

I make my way back down the stone steps, having had no success at all in the Upper Castle, and once I reach the bottom I consider just going back along the ramparts and heading back to find the others, but I know that would just be shirking my responsibility.

And so, I find myself descending the other flight of stairs that lead down to the lake, and Miniro's Talent Lab. The journey feels as long as it did before, and I find it even more unpleasant seeing as this time I'm alone. My ElectroID's screen barely lights the way, and I find myself wishing I had just waited until I had someone else with me before I came down this way.

Still, I've set myself on this course so I may as well keep going…

I try to distract myself on the way down – trying to piece some of the events of last night together into a proper timeline. There were still a few hazy areas, but for the most part it was all there. It's a lot hazier towards the end though…

Maybe we'll all sit down and talk about it later. We'll all get a super late dinner sorted and the others will laugh at how hungover they'd been. And we'd all laugh about Yamato puking in the punchbowl – except Haru, probably – and then we'll talk about some of the highlights of playing Ring of Fire, and Yuki's ridiculous rule with the Jack cards, and how Daisuke was the best at taking shots.

I hope so.

An icy wind blows up the passageway, and I can just make out at the bottom of the stairs, a slight slice of dull light coming from outside from where the door's been left ajar. Finally – jeez. I'm sick of these stairs.

I finally reach the bottom, and yank the door open, stepping out onto the lakeside. It's pretty dark down here, really. Dark clouds have reappeared, blocking the light of the moon from even offering me any assistance in the gloom. Everything is in black, jagged shadow along the shoreline, reaching up to the larger rocks that shelter the entrance to Miniro's Lab.

I figure it can't hurt to walk along the shore and check it out, and I take my time to pick my way across the snow and the stones, careful not to fall.

And then I get that uneasy feeling that something isn't right.

There's a shape at the very edge of the lake, that on first glance I'd just taken to be a rock. The lack of light had made it impossible to make out any details from a distance. But now that I'm approaching it…

In the darkening sky, the clouds disperse. Moonlight spills down across the lakeside.

A scream catches in my throat.

Surely it couldn't be? Not again.

But there's no denying it.

Lying on the shore, head fully submerged under the black, icy water, is the body of the Ultimate Hairdresser: Yuki Tadeshi.

* * *

 **11 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	23. Chapter 03: Kill One, Get One Free (VII)

Yuki Tadeshi… She was so bubbly and always full of fun and mischief – the real firecracker of our group… And now her light has been snuffed out…

I take the stairs two at a time, my lungs burning from the strain as I race to find help. I hadn't known what to do when I'd seen her lying there, but I already knew it was too late. The frost that had coated her body was proof enough of that. Even then, I'd paused. It would be indecent to leave her like that, but if something has happened and… if things go the way I'm already certain they will, there's only one thing awaiting us now.

Between my panicked thoughts of Yuki and the oncoming Class Trial, I miss a step and fall down, only just managing to throw my hands out in time to prevent myself splitting my head open on the cold, stone stairs. A throb of pain runs through my hands and up my arms, and I cry out as I go to stand again – my knees have crashed right into the stone on impact.

I take the rest of the stairs as fast as I can, panting heavily. All I can think about now is finding someone as soon as I can, and the thought of finding help is enough to make me wipe my eyes, already stinging with tears, and keep on going.

The frost is really setting in now as I make my way under the archway, and I skid more than once on the icy ramparts. By the time the doors that lead into the Castle are in sight, I'm practically sobbing, my entire body trembling as I throw myself at the door and fall through it into the corridor annex beyond.

I can't stop though. I mustn't stop. I keep on going, despite the pounding in my head. In what feels like hours, I'm at the far end of the corridor, where I slump against the wall, gasping for breath.

"Hey, man, are you okay?" a voice calls from up ahead. I look up, still wheezing, to see Yamato, Kimi, Miniro, Ino, and Daisuke. They all rush over to me, concerned.

"It's… Yuki," I cough, still shivering all over. "She's… she's been killed."

Kimi and Daisuke gasp in unison, while Miniro and Yamato's eyes widen in horror. Ino grabs me by the shoulder.

"What did you say?!" she growls, shaking me. "What the fuck did you say?!"

"Ino!" Kimi snaps. "Stop it, you are frightening him!"

"What did you say about Yuki?!" she screams right in my face.

"She's been killed," I cry, feeling the tears start again. "D-down at the lake."

For a second I think she's going to hit me. Her grip on my shoulders are like vices – I can practically feel the bruises forming. But then… she lets go of me, and shoves past me, disappearing out of sight as she runs as fast as she can down the corridor I've just come along.

"The lake?" gasps Yamato. "God… no wonder nobody could find her."

"A-are you alright, Mr. K-Kamiya?" Daisuke asks, gently touching my hand. "Y-you're absolutely f-frozen."

"I don't know, Daisuke," I admit. "But there's no time to worry about me – we need to get down to the lake."

"Y-yes, of c-c-course."

"What about the others?" asks Yamato. "Someone should go find them."

"I will go," says Kimi, grimly. "I… don't think I'm ready to see."

"I-I'll help you," Daisuke offers.

"Will you be alright, Daisuke?" asks Miniro, gently. Daisuke chews his lip uncertainly for a moment, but then he nods, determined.

"Y-yes, Mr. Shirane."

"Then you two better get going," Yamato says. "C'mon, guys – we best catch up with Ino."

I try my best to keep up with the other two as they race ahead. For the most part, I can ignore the cold, and a sudden new burst of adrenaline seems to be all that's keeping me going. I just hope Ino is okay…

* * *

Minutes later, we're back at the lakeside again, and my heart sinks a little deeper in my chest. Ino is knelt down in the rocks, cradling Yuki's body in her arms. Her once-wild hair is now dark and dripping, concealing her face from view.

And then…

 _Ding dong dong ding!_

" _A body has been discovered!_ " cries Monokuma, his amplified voice echoing out across the dark lakeside. " _Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Class Trial will begin!_ "

"I had hoped never to hear that sound again," Miniro says, quietly. "I… I've failed to protect you all again."

"Nobody could have predicted this, Miniro," I tell him through my chattering teeth. The cold has caught up with me. And it hurts. I pull my arms around myself tightly, and try to ignore the bite of the cold.

"Why her though?" Yamato croaks. "Why Yuki?"

"I'm looking forward to finding out the answer to that one myself," Ino snarls. "But first, _you_!" She points an accusing finger at me. "Why didn't you move her?"

"I didn't know what to do," I admit. "I panicked when I saw her like that and I knew it was too late to do anything."

"That isn't good enough!" she insists.

"If Kei had moved her, it could have made this part of proceedings more complicated," another voice says. I turn around to see some of the others – Masashi, Haru, Blessing, and Kimi – filing down the steps. It's Haru who's spoken. "As it stands, now at least we have two people who know exactly what position her body was in."

"How can you… just say stuff like that as if it doesn't mean anything?" Ino hisses at him. "She's dead and you're treating this like its… like its…"

"I'm treating it like our lives are on the line," Haru reminds her. "I'm sorry, though. I never wanted this."

"None of us did," Yamato says, quietly.

"One of us clearly did," retorts Masashi. He looks around at us, coldly. "After everything we'd been through. After last night. Someone still had their own agenda."

"Well, that's enough of that!" Monokuma says, appearing – as per usual – as if from nowhere. "There'll be plenty of time for accusing and calling out and what not at the Trial. In the meantime, hadn't you guys better get to work?"

"I suppose you better give us the Monokuma File so we can begin then," Haru points out. "And even then, we're still waiting on some of the others."

"Ugh, I don't have time to hang about waiting for you schmucks all day," Monokuma grunts, shaking his head. "You can all have the File now, and then the Investigation officially begins. Three, two, one… dingdingding!"

There are several bleeps from all around as the ElectroIDs register this new update. I feel sick at the thought of having to go through this all over again. I'm too tired of it… I'm too tired of everything.

A hand clamps down on my shoulder and I look up to see Haru by my side.

"I know it's horrible, but we can't waste time here," he says. "Collect your thoughts for a moment, but don't get overwhelmed."

Don't get overwhelmed?! For a second, a white-hot burst of anger flares up in me, and I just want to grab him by the shoulders and scream at him. How many times are we going to have to do this? How many times are we going to have to stand over the body of one of our friends and 'collect our thoughts'?

But I know, despite my anger, that Haru isn't to blame. He's just doing what he has to so we can survive, and I need to do the same. I need to be strong.

I'm so tired of being strong…

I'm ripped out of this train of thought by the arrival of Daisuke, Mitsu, and Hikaru, all three panting heavily from their journey down the stairs. They all have their ElectroIDs in their hands, so presumably they've got the Monokuma File too. Mitsu meets my eye as they approach us, formed in a kind of half-circle around Ino, still clutching Yuki's body.

"It's… it's true then," Hikaru says, softly.

"W-we had really hoped there was j-just some kind of m-m-mistake," Daisuke trembles. "I… oh, M-Ms Tadeshi…"

"To lose another of our number is one thing," Kimi says, "but to lose someone as kind and talented as Yuki… It is… terrible."

"I can't believe it," Blessing says, fighting back tears. "I… I just can't believe it's happened again."

"But it has," Mitsu says, softly. "And we know what we have to do now."

I can't even bring myself to speak. Wordlessly, I just look down at my ElectroID and tap the flashing **MONOKUMA FILE #3** label.

Like before, the spinning Monokuma logo appears, then splits in two to show the usual details. A full-body black-and-white photo of Yuki, with 'dead' emblazoned over it; a header displaying her name and the usual information from the ElectroID Student List. I swipe it aside, and the screen changes to an image of Yuki's body as I'd initially found it, her head submerged in the water.

I stop and glance round. I'd never noticed a security camera out here before. But, yeah, there's one just above the door leading to the stairs, and another just visible behind the rockface, above the door to Miniro's Lab.

Pity we can't just hack those…

I look back down at my ElectroID and read the information below the picture.

 _The victim's body was discovered by the lake in the Castle Grounds. The victim appears to have drowned, resulting in death. Alcohol was found in the victim's system, though no chemicals such as poison were detected._

"Well, that's a start," Haru murmurs, looking up from his ElectroID.

"So… how do we wanna do this?" Yamato says, uncertainly.

"I'll stand guard," Miniro says, head bowed. "It's the least I can do for Yuki."

"I'll stay too," Ino says. "I suppose you'll all be wanting to look at her for evidence."

Mitsu steps forward and then gently crouches down so there's only the space of about a foot or so between them both. She leans forward, over Yuki, and murmurs something into Ino's ear. Ino seems to go tense for a second, but then she nods her head.

"Okay," she says, quietly. "I guess you're right."

She rises to her feet, small clumps of snow dropping off of her skirt as she does. Gently, she rests Yuki's body back down in the snow and adjusts her hair – already starting to frost over – back from her face. I feel a stab of sorrow in my gut. We can see her eyes now.

Dull and empty… Like the eyes of some china doll. For Yuki – someone so full of energy and life – to have eyes like those… It's dizzying to even consider.

But that's how it is. This is our reality.

The others begin to drift off, and I decide to take another look over the Monokuma File. I hadn't really taken it in at first glance. When I look back up again, Mitsu and Haru are perched over Yuki's body, with Ino standing close by, arms folded. No… not that. It's like she's hugging herself. Her anger has faded now, but there's still an expression on her face of great emotion – like something she can't quite process.

I guess that's understandable…

I decide not to dwell too long on the same spot, and so I decide to look around the rest of the lakeside. Hikaru is already a little further ahead, though he seems to have stopped just before the rocks that conceal the entrance to Miniro's Lab. I go to step beside him, but he seems to sense me and throws an arm up.

"Wait!" he insists. I flinch and take a step back, involuntarily. He sees my reaction and gives me a weak smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you – it's just… I think I've found something."

"It's okay," I tell him, peering over his shoulder. "Oh… right."

The snow from last night had been pretty heavy, and now there were very clear marks, visible in the whiteness.

"They look like drag marks," Hikaru says. "Right?"

I nod. The snow seems to have gathered a little heavier over this way, and it's pretty clear to see the path where something has been dragged along the shore. There are other small, slightly deeper marks just visible in the snow, and I realise that they're footprints – or at least the marks where the back of someone's shoe has indented slightly.

I point these out to Hikaru and he nods. "That's what I was thinking," he agrees, holding out his ElectroID. I do the same, and a moment later **DRAG MARKS IN SNOW** and **FOOTPRINTS IN SNOW** flash onscreen one after the other.

"We can't really move now without disturbing these…" Hikaru points out. "But there could be important evidence over that way."

I consider this for a second, and then turn back to the shoreline where the others are still stood around Yuki's body. "Hey, Miniro, could you come here for a minute?"

Miniro looks to Ino, as if checking with her for permission, and then after she gives him a dismissive look he approaches us both.

"Everything alright, you two?" he asks.

"About as alright as can be expected," Hikaru says, sadly. "I… well, we found these marks in the snow here, but we can't completely walk around them without disturbing them."

"Ah, so if you have me stand here, I can see the marks as they are, and I can keep track of who comes across this way," Miniro nods. "Sure thing."

"That was it," I nod. "Thank you, Miniro."

"No problem, Kei. We need to all work together, and if this is the best way I can help then that'll be my role."

We manage to exchange weak smiles, and then – still trying to be as careful as possible – Hikaru and I tread lightly across the snow, following the marks. The trail takes us around the side of the large rocks that separate the main part of the shore from Miniro's Lab, and we find ourselves standing a few feet away from the large metal door. The trail seems to end right in front of it, as if, whatever was moved that way had been taken inside, though there's something about the snow around the door that I can't quite put my finger on.

"Reckon there's some clue inside here?" Hikaru asks.

"It's possible, yeah," I nod. "Something seems a little off though, doesn't it?"

Hikaru looks confused. "No more than usual, I'd say."

I decide to keep track of it for later, and I hold up my ElectroID.

 **DRAG MARKS IN SNOW** and **FOOTPRINTS IN SNOW** update themselves with the new information of where they both lead, and after quickly glancing through the information, I turn back to Hikaru.

"So we're going to have to let someone else take charge of guarding those footprints if we want Miniro to let us in here, right?" he says.

I shrug. "Or we could just ask for his ElectroID to open the door."

"Could do that," he nods. "I'll go get it – back in a sec!"

Carefully, he picks his way back through the snow, trying just to step in the steps we've already made. He disappears around the rockface again, and suddenly the cold seems to bite at me just that little bit more. I hug my arms tightly around myself and then wince as my body starts to numbly ache.

A few seconds later, Hikaru returns, and gives me a concerned look.

"Sooner we're in here, the better," he says, teeth chattering slightly. "You look ill."

"Just… so cold…" I moan. He reaches out to the card reader with Miniro's ElectroID and after a quick bleep of confirmation, the enormous metal door clunks loudly as it opens, like a bulkhead on a spaceship from some sci-fi movie.

Not willing to spend any longer in the snow than I have to, I quickly dart in through the door, with Hikaru following close behind. He seals the door over again behind me as quickly as he can.

"No point freezing in here too," he says, rubbing his hands together for warmth once the door's closed. "Weird place, huh?"

For a few seconds I don't even really process my surroundings, but as I finally start to regain a bit of warmth, I stop and look around. We're in what seems to be a kind of enormous workshop, with steel floors and large pieces of nautical machinery littered across several worktables. There's large strip lights suspended from the metal rafters holding up the ceiling, and large nets and ropes wrapped round or dangling from them – some tied into intricate knots. An old-fashioned looking anchor is ceremonially displayed on the wall, alongside several framed pictures of what looks to be different types of ships. There's a large set of double doors at the far side of the room too, and after taking a quick look around the workshop area, Hikaru and I head through them, stepping out onto a metal walkway that leads down to…

Another shore?

We're by the side of another lake now – smaller than the one we've just came in from. It's still chilly enough that I can see my breath in clouds of vapour, but the large cavern walls seem to extend high enough that only very small amounts of snow have been able to get in. The water here is calm, and it laps gently over the rocky shore, the sound just perceptible over the sound of the metal clanking underfoot as Hikaru and I make our way down to the shore. There's a few boats of different sizes and designs anchored a little further along, but I don't really fancy getting my feet any wetter than they need to be.

"Hm… this is a pretty interesting place," Hikaru says. "What do you think?"

"It's freezing," I mutter. "But, yeah, it is kinda cool."

"If I've got my bearings right, this place connects to the lake outside," Hikaru says. "In fact…"

He sets off across the water's edge, stones clicking and rolling slightly under his boots as he makes his way towards the end of the shore where it joins the cavern wall.

"Find anything?" I ask, as he crouches down.

"I think I might have," he nods, beckoning me over. "See that gap there?"

I shift around a little until I can see what he's talking about. There's a space, identical to the one outside, where the water seems to disappear through, but now that I'm looking at it, something seems kind of weird about it. It looks like it'd be big enough to climb through, not that anyone in their right mind would want to. The water seems to be flowing out of the gap, into the lake at this side, coming from the lake outside.

"So, you feel it too?" Hikaru says, reading my expression. "Another one you can't quite put your finger on?"

I nod. "It feels like that," I confirm. "I'll keep a note of it for later."

The ElectroID in my hand bleeps as I hold it out, and a label marked **OPENING IN LAB** flashes onscreen. I decide just to check out the other side once we're out.

For the next ten minutes or so we investigate the shoreline – combing over the rocks and the water's edge – but finally we decide we aren't going to find anything useful in here, and so we decide to turn back. It's as we're making our way back out of the door, stepping out into the snow again, that I get the overwhelming feeling that I'm missing something obvious…

Nevertheless, I stop and quickly scan the other gap in the rockface where the water pours out from. **OPENING OUTSIDE LAB** appears onscreen. The gap looks to be the exact same – just a couple of feet of emptiness visible over the water. Probably big enough for a person to swim into. Only… if I crouch down a little… something still seems off. It doesn't match the concealed lake inside the Lab in some way. I watch the water flowing out of the gap and into the steely grey lake for a moment, before standing up to full height again.

I go to turn around and mention it to Hikaru, and then cry out in alarm as I find myself face-to-face with Mitsu. She seems to be staring right through me, as if I'm not even there, but then she comes back to reality and says, "Are you alright?"

"Caught me offguard," I sigh. "Are you alright?"

She nods. "More or less. Have you found anything out so far?"

"Nothing I'd feel confident talking about," I admit. "My head feels all fuzzy if I'm honest. I can't seem to work things out properly."

"It's the cold," she says. "You look like dea- um… well… anyway… you don't look well."

"I just need to deal with it," I shrug. "Can't let you guys do all the hard work."

"If you feel like it's too much strain, just take a break inside," Hikaru says. "It won't do you any good to make yourself sick."

"We've been under constant strain since we got here," I say, dismissively. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…"

"Look, guys," I sigh, "I appreciate the concern, honestly, but we need to prioritize here."

They both look at each other for a moment and then face me again, both giving small nods of agreement.

"Okay, well, if you're sure, let's continue with the investigation," Mitsu says. "Miniro said one of you had his ElectroID for his Lab."

"That's right," Hikaru says, holding it out to her. "Oh, but one of us should come with you, right?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You don't trust me?"

"It's not that," Hikaru cries, waving his hands about in a kind of frenzied way. "I just thought that when it comes down to it, it's always better if there's at least someone with you to back you up on anything you find, right? Like we got Miniro to come over so we had some way of backing us up about the drag marks and stuff."

Mitsu nods. "No, I agree. I'm glad you brought it up actually."

"I'll go see how the others are getting on," I say. "No point the three of us going."

"You sure?"

I nod. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll see you guys soon."

They head back off in the direction of Miniro's Lab while I stand by the water for another moment. Then, with a sigh, I turn on the spot and head back over towards Miniro, who's still standing where we left him.

"Find anything?" he asks. I shake my head.

"Not really," I tell him.

"Well, I might have found something," he tells me. "I didn't want to move too much in case I disturbed it, but when I was standing here I noticed…" He crouches down a little and points at a spot a few feet away, at the rocks. "See it?"

I squint to see what he's talking about at first, and can't see anything at all, but then, as my eyes adjust I can suddenly make out what looks like a ripped piece of lilac fabric. It's a very small piece, but it looks very out of place.

I gingerly take another step closer, holding out my ElectroID – **TORN FABRIC** pops up onscreen.

"It seems odd that it's there – there's nowhere it could have come from nearby," Miniro points out.

"Yeah, that's got me confused too… the more I find, the more I feel like I'm missing something," I admit.

"I'm sure you'll work it out, Kei," Miniro says, with a weak attempt at an encouraging smile. "You've shown you're very observant already."

"I guess," I say, uncertainly. "It's always a group effort in the end, though… even though our group just keeps getting smaller…"

I look over at Yuki's body, further up the shoreline. Haru seems to have finished inspecting her, and he's now at the very far end of the shore. Ino is still knelt down besides Yuki, apparently totally oblivious to the snow she's knee deep in.

Miniro pats my shoulder, comfortingly. I give him an appreciative nod in response and then start making my way across the waterfront towards Ino and Yuki's body.

"So it's your turn to go all Sherlock Holmes," Ino says as I approach. Her accusing eyes look sore and red, though there doesn't seem to be any other tell-tale signs that she's been crying.

"I can… leave you alone with her for a bit if you want me to come back," I say, trying not to upset her any more than she already seems to be.

"I don't care, _he's_ already here anyway – just get on with it," she snaps. _He_ is Haru, who seems to be inspecting Yuki's neck.

Uncertainly, I crouch down in the snow, wincing as the cold bites at my ankles. But there isn't time to think about that – I need to focus

"Found anything?" I ask.

"A few things," he says, noncommittally.

"And you're going to recommend I find them for myself, right?"

He shrugs, still not looking up at me. "All I'd say is it's better if you look at things yourself."

God, he confuses me. It's always one extreme or the other with him. I shake my head a little – he isn't the priority right now. The priority is the investigation.

Unsure of where to start, I run my gaze over the body in front of me, hoping something will leap out at me. And then I see something huge I'd missed.

The Monokuma File says she drowned, and I saw her face down in the water, so that would account for the fact her face is still wet, though even now it's frosting over ever-so-slightly, like nature itself is trying to preserve her. What's odd to me though, is that the rest of her clothes seem to be wet too. I hadn't noticed in my panic, but now I'm taking my time and I can see that her clothes – while not necessarily waterlogged – appear to have retained some water. That couldn't have been just from lying in the snow, surely?

I hold my ElectroID out and sure enough, **WET CLOTHES** appears onscreen. That's something at the very least… but what else. If she was drowned is there really going to be more to see?

"Any thoughts so far?" Haru asks.

"I thought we weren't sharing this time," I reply.

"No, I'm not giving you the answers, that's not the same as sharing opinions," he says.

"Well, I don't know what to make of it," I sigh. "I don't know what I'm meant to be looking for!"

"Did you any other time?"

"Well, no, but that doesn't make it any easier! The first time it happened it hurt me so much having to do all this. And I never thought I'd have to hurt like that ever again, but then it happened again! And… now… I just feel like it's too much to cope with!" I didn't realise I'd raised my voice at first, but part of me felt better just for saying it.

"I understand, Kei," Haru says with infuriating calmness. "We all feel the same."

I nod. "I… I know," I sigh. "I'm just… I don't know anymore… Let's just get back to it, yeah?"

I look away from him and back to Yuki. The evening light has given an almost eerie glow to her icy skin, with the faintest pinpricks of stars reflected in her glassy eyes.

"I wanted to close them," Ino says. "But I thought I'd be better waiting for you lot to do your thing just in case."

"I think it would be alright to close them," Haru says, quietly. "There's nothing about her eyes that could tell us anything, despite what they thought back in the Victorian Age." Ino leans in and gently pushes Yuki's eyelids shut.

"There… she looks peaceful now."

"Victorian Age?" I ask Haru.

"Oh, some scientists believed that when someone… passed away… they would retain an image of the last thing they saw, and you would be able to see that in their eye."

"Sounds a bit sc-fi…"

"Would certainly make our job a lot easier, though," Haru sighs, standing back up to his full height. "Anyway, time's marching on. Keep working. I've got a few other places I want to check out."

I barely get a chance to look up before he's off in the opposite direction, back towards the stairs that lead back up to the Castle. I turn to look at Ino who shrugs haughtily, and then inclines her head at Yuki as if insisting I stop looking her at and get back to what I was doing.

Picking up the pace a little, I move around to where Haru was standing before, near Yuki's head. From this angle I can suddenly see what he was focusing on... A large, bloody lump just visible at the crown of her head, just visible as it touches the snow. The blood doesn't seem to have spilled onto the snow, but it still looks thick and unpleasant, clumped into the roots of damp hair around the wound.

I lift the ElectroID up again and it registers it with its characteristic bleep and the label: **HEAD TRAUMA**.

There's something in the wound though… I can't really place it, but it looks like small flakes of some shiny material, reflecting ever so slightly in the moonlight. At first I thought it was glitter, but it doesn't look right the more I look at it.

 **SMALL FLAKES IN WOUND** flashes onscreen.

It's just as I go to stand again that I notice there's something else too. Her hair… part of it looks frayed and damaged, as if its been ripped out. Despite her hair looking flat and dull compared to usual, it's this one part that sticks out to me just because of how _wrong_ it looks.

I quickly make a note of that too: **YUKI'S HAIR** , and then take another look over Yuki's body, but this time there's really nothing else I can make out. It looks like I'm gonna have to look elsewhere.

I need to think…

God, it's so cold…

Think, Kei… come on…

I should… check where Daisuke and Yamato were when we couldn't find them before, and maybe doublecheck with the others. Also, I'm sure someone said that Yuki's ElectroID was registering as being in her dormitory room, so that would be worth verifying too.

I get up and give Ino a slight nod to indicate I'm done. It feels weird stepping away, leaving Yuki lying out here like this… I'm reminded of finding Arata's body in the maze what feels like lifetimes ago now…

"I better get going," I say to Ino. "Will you… are you… okay?"

"Does it matter?" she says with a shrug. "Just go."

I go to say something else, but my words catch in my throat and I decide the best thing to do is just leave her be. I turn around and head back off towards the doorway and the long climb back up to the Castle…

* * *

My journey back to the Castle is a lonely and uncomfortable one. I feel numb, yet I'm all too aware of the ache in my bones. I can feel my fingers twitching in my pockets, though I know I'm not doing it intentionally. My thoughts are dull and heavy in my head – like sluggish grey clouds dragging across a dark sky. No sign of clear skies anytime soon…

But I keep going, because I know I have to. For my own sake, and for everyone else. And for Yuki.

I nearly sob with relief when I finally get through those double doors that lead back into the Ground Floor of the Castle, and I take a moment just to hug myself and let the heat envelop me like I've stepped into a hot bath. It was less than an hour ago that I was last here, but it already feels like a distant memory.

I can't afford to relax for long though – I have work to do. Fingers still trembling slightly, I slide my ElectroID out of my pocket and check the Map tab. The others are showing up at various locations throughout the Castle and the Grounds, but Yuki's is no longer showing up. Checking that out is as good a course of action as any right now, especially because it looks like Daisuke is up there with Blessing and Kimi right now.

Pocketing my ElectroID again, I set off along the corridor, in the direction of the Common Room.

* * *

I'm mostly warmed up properly by the time I get up the stairs to the Dormitory, though my face and my fingers still throb a little. I glance longingly at the crackling fire as I pass it, but I don't have the time right now.

I can hear voices as I turn the corner at the end of the corridor, and as I approach I see Yuki's bedroom door is lying open.

"But what do you suppose it means?" I hear Kimi saying.

"I-I'm not sure," Daisuke replies. It's at this point that I reach the door, and gently knock on it to get their attention.

"Oh, Kei!" Blessing says. "Are you alright? You look frozen."

"Doesn't matter," I say, "but thanks for checking. Have you guys found anything?"

"Well, Yuki's ElectroID was here," Kimi says, "but it won't be telling us anything."

"How d'you mean?" I frown.

"Look for yourself," she says sadly, pointing at the floor by my feet. I look down to see a mangled lump of glass and metal – the remnants of Yuki's ElectroID…

"What happened to it?" I ask, crouching down to get a proper look at it without disturbing it.

"It was b-behind th-the door," Daisuke says, fidgeting with his sleeves. "And wh-when Monokuma opened th-the door for us it sm-smashed."

"That seems awfully convenient," I frown, holding my own ElectroID out to record it. "Surely the door would have just pushed it away or something?"

A ping later, **YUKI'S ELECTROID** is added to my list.

"It is most curious," Kimi nods. "But that is not all that we have found."

"Oh, yes, the note!" Blessing says, holding a piece of paper out to me. "Daisuke found it lying on the bed."

I reach out and take it from her. At first glance it looks like it's just a torn piece of colourful neon-green and violent pink paper, but the texture of it looks a bit more like its been torn from a poster or something. I get a weird sense of déjà vu looking at it. But before I can dwell on that any longer, I turn it over to read what looks to be a hastily scrawled message written on the back.

 _I HAD FUN TONIGHT - MEET ME BY THE LAKE AT 5AM AND WE CAN HAVE AN AFTERPARTY. Xxx_

"We were just discussing it before you appeared," Blessing explains. "I didn't quite know what to make of it.

"Five in the morning…" I murmur. "Four hours before time was up for the motive."

"Oh, my!" Daisuke gasps, his hands clasping to his mouth in horror.

"You think someone has given in for the sake of the motive, Kei?" Kimi asks, turning to me.

"It seems pretty likely," I admit. "I… I don't really know what to think yet."

"Perhaps it's something worth discussing in more detail at the Class Trial," Blessing says as I hand it back to her. "We can all put our heads together."

I nod. "You're right. We should get back to investigating for now and leave the discussion for later…"

"We should continue," Kimi agrees. "We may not have much time left."

"Daisuke, do you mind if I have a word first?" I ask.

"O-oh, of c-course not, Mr K-Kamiya. Is th-there something I c-can help you with?"

Daisuke and I step over into the corner to allow Kimi and Blessing space to continue their search of the room.

"I was wondering where you were earlier on when we were all searching for you. We couldn't find Yamato or Yuki either at the time."

"Oh, I was… it's e-embarrassing," Daisuke grimaces. "I was… in the b-bathroom in my r-room. I c-could hear the intercom going b-but I couldn't… um… m-move."

His face is an alarming shade of red at this point and I feel kind of guilty for asking him.

"Um, are you… feeling better now?" I ask, uncomfortably.

"O-our friend h-has been murdered, Mr Kamiya," Daisuke says, looking at me a little confused now.

"Yeah, sorry, dumb question," I sigh. "My brain's still frozen, I think… But, anyway, um… thanks for being honest, Daisuke."

"I-it's alright, Mr Kamiya – I understand why y-you had to ask."

 **DAISUKE'S ACCOUNT** flashes onto my screen. I find myself hoping that I don't need to use that particular piece of information, to spare my blushes as much as Daisuke's.

"Well… I better get g- oh, wait!" With an almost audible boom, something has just sparked up in my memory. I knock the palm of my hand against my forehead and turn to Blessing. "Oh, stupid, stupid brain! The note! Blessing, can I see it a second?"

"Um, yes, of course," Blessing says, sounding about as confused as the other two look.

"D-do you think you've f-found something, Mr K-Kamiya?"

"I'd forgot to make a record of it in my ElectroID," I admit, talking animatedly now as I swipe my ElectroID over it. _Ping!_ **NOTE** added. "And when I looked at it I was sure I'd seen it, or at least, something similar fairly recently!" I hold up the green and pink scrap and turn it so they can all see the front. "And when I was speaking to you, Daisuke, I realised where it was that I'd seen it before!"

"Where?" Kimi asks, taking the note from me and turning it over in her hands as if she's expecting the paper to suddenly magically spell it out.

"The Gym!" I say. "A few days ago when I was in there, I remember seeing a bunch of posters and fliers and stuff in the leisure area when you walk in just past the lobby!"

"Oh, the d-d-day that you sp-spoke to me and Mr Sh-Shirane next to the v-vending machines!" Daisuke realises. "Oh, n-now you mention it, I d-do remember seeing fliers the s-same colour as the n-note!"

"Then I know where I should head next," I nod, already bolting for the door. "I'm not sure how much time we have left but we can't afford to miss out on anything!"

"Good luck!" Blessing calls after me as I disappear. I'm running along the corridor now – the ache in my body is fading, but it's still there, and I do my best to ignore the discomfort throbbing through my body as I race through the Common Room, along the corridor, and down towards the Entrance Hall.

"Come on, come on, come on…"

The Dungeon corridor flashes by me. Another flight of stairs. A dark passageway… Then, I'm outside again, into the sharp night air that almost cuts at my lungs as I inhale. And just ahead… the Gym.

* * *

The doors barely get a chance to swish open and I'm already through them. I'm mentally tracing my steps again, zipping across the lobby and –

" _Ouch!_ "

I clutch my head in pain as I'm thrown back slightly. I've collided with something. Something solid and… sweary. I open my eyes again to see Masashi standing a few feet away from me, mirroring me in clutching at his forehead.

"What the hell were you running about like a madman for?!" he snaps. "You could've brained me!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," I hiss through the pain. "Got a bit in the moment… had to… check this place out before time ran out."

"Oh, so you saw the note too, did you?" he nods. "I did wonder whether I'd be the only one to figure that one out myself."

"You've been here too?"

"Of course," he says. "I've had a look around every part of this Castle as it's become available to us, and while the sports that are participated in here aren't my cup of tea, I still appreciate the other facilities they have here."

"Fair enough," I nod. "Um… you alright?"

"I'll live," he grunts. "Unfortunate use of phrase not intended. Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you… are you alright?"

At first I feel a bit thick, but then I realise that I'm just still genuinely confused by Masashi expressing any sort of concern and I nod a bit dumbly.

"Fine, yeah," I say.

The moment is saved from becoming even more uncomfortable by the sudden appearance of Yamato, who sees us both standing and makes a beeline over to us.

"Ah, hey, you two!" he says. "I guess you guys had the same idea as me then, huh?"

"You saw the note too?" I ask.

"I must admit, you were the last person I expected to reach the same conclusion that I did," Masashi frowns. "You may not be a total idiot after all."

Yamato looks from Masashi to me in total confusion. "Um… what note?"

"The note in Yuki's r-"

"And, _hey!_ I'm not an idiot!" he interrupts, folding his arms and pouting at Masashi. Masashi manages a half-hearted shrug in response. I give them a second before I speak again.

"There was a note in Yuki's room," I explain. "It had been written on the back of a torn piece of what I recognised as one of the fliers they kept on a table in here."

"So if that's _not_ what brought you here," Masashi says, "pray tell… what did?"

"Well, I just remembered that Yuki came here the other day is all," Yamato shrugs. "Figured it was worth having a look around, right?"

"You ended up in the right place for the wrong reasons," Masashi says, eyebrows raised. "I'd be impressed if it wasn't so ridiculous."

"I think I preferred you when you were drunk," Yamato says, irritably. "Anyways, if you guys are right about this note thing, then it's a good thing there's three of us here!"

"How so?"

"Makes it easier to search the place, right?" Yamato says. "Jeez, and you think _I'm_ an idiot! If the person who wrote the note used a flier from this place, as opposed to paper from a book in the Castle or the Library or whatever then doesn't it stand to reason that they might have taken something else from here too?"

"Yamato, that's… brilliant!" I say, trying not to sound to surprised. "You could be right too – we still haven't found a murder weapon after all."

"I suppose it is possible," Masashi sniffs, clearly a little put out by the fact that Yamato had been a step ahead of him. "Then I suppose we should split up and search this place."

"But first I want to take a look at those fliers," I say. "I'll get to searching once I'm done over there."

I wave them off and dart around the corner from where Masashi had come from when I'd bumped into him. There's a kind of reception desk thing here, covered in pamphlets and fliers and mini-posters showing all the facilities and different stuff like classes that were offered and clubs. Unpleasantly, the posters had been altered to add in Monokumas, dressed in leotards and sweatbands, performing gymnastic routines or spin-cycling. Nasty…

But none of these appear to be damaged in any way, and it was a decent-sized chunk that had been torn out for the note to have been written on. I lean over the desk to check behind it, and that's when I spot the wastepaper basket in the corner.

Hopping over the desk, I reach into the basket, and victoriously pull out a hastily scrunched-up pink and green poster. There's a chunk missing from the bottom corner, and I carefully pick the ball apart and smooth it out on top of the reception desk, pulling up the record of the note to compare its edges to that of the poster. Perfect match.

"It doesn't prove much," I mutter to myself. "But every little helps."

 **TORN POSTER** flashes onscreen a few seconds later, and I decide that I don't want to risk damaging it any more by trying to put it back in the bin, so I leave it where it is. Time to give the rest of this place a look over.

* * *

It only takes me a few minutes till I'm reunited with Yamato again, exploring the equipment room at the back of the building. It's like a small warehouse back here, and absolutely crammed full of crash mats and hurdles and nets and climbing frames and a ton of other equipment in various different sizes, shapes, and colours. Also – clearly Monokuma's idea of a joke – a large iron maiden…

"Do you mind if I ask where you were when we were trying to find you, Daisuke, and Yuki earlier?" I ask him as we pick our way through boxes of snorkels and inflatables for the pool.

"Oh, sure thing, man," he says. "Haru already asked me the same, anyways. It's not really a big secret though… I was just in bed."

He clearly notices the look on my face because he laughs a little and shakes his head.

"You're probably thinking that if I was in bed then I should have heard the intercom going, right?"

"Kind of, yeah," I admit.

"Dude, I was like… in a completely different universe. You saw how wasted I was last night. I was in the deepest sleep of my life after the amount I had puked."

"That's understandable," I grimaced. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure though, so thanks for telling me."

"No worries, man. I… I know it's hardly an airtight alibi but… I could never do that – especially not to Yuki!"

I nod. "I understand, Yamato… I-"

"If you two are done chit-chatting…"

I look up from my ElectroID as it updates to include **YAMATO'S ACCOUNT** to see Masashi at the far end of the equipment room. He beckons us over, impatiently. It takes us a minute or so to wade our way through everything, but finally we're with him at the far end, where he gestures at a small plastic sign.

"What do you make of that?" he says.

 _A NOTE TO ALL STAFF AND STUDENTS:_

 _ALL GYM EQUIPMENT, BESIDES MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY FOR USE IN THE SWIMMING POOL, ARE TO BE KEPT INDOORS AND AWAY FROM ANY LIQUIDS DUE TO A PRONE TO EXTREME RUSTING. DRINKS SHOULD BE STORED IN BOTTLES WITH SPORT CAPS TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL SPILLAGE AT ALL TIMES._

"What about it?" I ask.

"Honestly, do you two need your hands held constantly?" Masashi sighs, rolling his eyes. "Look at the wall there."

Yamato and I turn to look at the wall. It's a large rack, containing several long, shiny metal bats.

"Oh…" I say.

"Oh?" I hear Yamato echo.

" _Oh…_ " I say again, slowly approaching the rack. The very end of the rack closest to the wall has a bat in it, just like the rest of them, except this one appears to be darkened with rust – silver flecks of paint or cheap metal peeling off it all along the length of it.

"I think we've found our murder weapon," I murmur, holding out my ElectroID.

 **RUSTY BAT** and **SPORTS EQUIPMENT WARNING** add themselves to my evidence list one after the other.

"Well, well, well…" Masashi says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "This _is_ interesting, isn't it?"

I go to reply, only to be interrupted by…

 _Ding dong dong ding!_

A monitor by the door flickers into life, displaying Monokuma's face.

" _Hello, naughty children, it's Class Trial time! Investigation time is oooooooover! If you'll all make your way through the Monokuma gate in the Courtyard, the elevator will be with you shortly! And remember, failure to attend_ will _result in punishment! Upupu!_ "

The screen crackles out again and the intercom switches off with its characteristic fizz of static. The silence that fills the air in its aftermath is as disturbing as ever.

"I… guess we best get going," Yamato gulps.

"I… y-yeah, you're right," I say, suppressing a shudder.

* * *

Yamato, Masashi, and I are the last to arrive in the Central Courtyard this time round. I'm trying not to think too much about the fact we're missing another member of our group again…

Still, my thoughts turn to Yuki as we make our way through the Monokuma gate and along the passage towards the concealed entrance. None of us have spoken since we all gathered, but now, as we stand at the entrance to the elevator it feels like a last chance.

"Are… are we all ready?" Hikaru asks, quietly.

"We're never ready," Yamato says. "How could anyone ever be ready for something like this?"

"We've all done our best to prepare," Mitsu replies. I catch her eye for a moment as she looks round at each of us. "We may not be ready, but we've done this before and we can do it again."

"You're right, Mitsu," Blessing agrees. "We… we just have to stay strong and we can get through this together."

"Oh, cut the crap!" Ino hisses. "We can play the 'teamwork' game all you idiots like, but it doesn't change the fact that Yuki is dead, and at the end of this, at least one of us is gonna be dead too."

"Ino…" Blessing reaches out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs it away and holds a finger up, threateningly.

"Don't… fucking touch me."

She holds her pose for a few seconds longer, and then lowers her arm. We all watch her, uncertainly for a few long moments. Then, she strides past Blessing, nudges me and Yamato aside, and makes her way into the elevator.

"This is it then, everyone," Miniro sighs. He steps into the elevator, Daisuke tightly clutching his hand.

"Good luck," whispers Blessing, faintly, wiping a tear from her eyes as she makes her way into the elevator after Miniro and Daisuke.

One by one, we all file in after them, and once we're all in, the doors slam shut behind us…

"Going down…" I hear someone murmur as the elevator shudders and begins its descent.

This feeling again… That grim sickness in my soul as we go deeper and deeper and deeper beneath the ground – that weight on my heart as the moonlight from above fades away and nothing but the sickly glow of the elevator's lighting allows us to see one another. That horrible, all-consuming knowledge of what might happen when those doors open again…

And before I even realise it, we're stepping out into the trial ground…

"You all know the drill by now, riiiiight?" Monokuma calls from his throne. "Take your podiums, yadda yadda yadda…"

Two new death markers have been added to the assembled podiums – Fumio and Yuki's faces, with that same pink cross smeared across them both.

We take our places and a few moments later, that familiar trill of power begins to oscillate. Moments later, our stands are hovering above the ground, and the screens around us are flickering into life, showing different views of Monokuma upon his throne.

"Lights! Camera! Action!" he cackles. "Oh, my little chickadees, what are we gonna do with you, huh? _What are we gonna do with you…?_ " The malice drips from every word, and claws unsheathing, he throws back his head and laughs again – amplified through the screens and speakers over and over again.

It's time…

Time to debate. Time to discuss what we've learned. Time to discover what really happened to Yuki Tadeshi…

Time to live or time to die.

It's time.

Time for the Third Class Trial!

* * *

 **11 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	24. Chapter 03: The Third Class Trial (I)

"Now then, let's start with a basic explanation of the Class Trial. During the class trial, you will present your arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, then only the guilty party will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong person... I'll punish everyone besides the guilty party, and that person will earn the right to leave this castle!"

Monokuma finishes his usual Trial introduction and pirouettes atop his throne. Ever the showman, I think bitterly to myself… A moment later, he's sat down and the trial ground falls into one of those brief lapses of silence, save for the thrumming of the hovering podiums.

And then the hologram display appears in a flare of yellow light. The rest of the lighting in the room seems to be following the same colour scheme, and the eerie glow it casts over our surroundings puts me in mind of a burning building…

"Ahem, well…" Masashi says, lazily swishing his finger across the screen of his ElectroID, "I suppose we should start this as we have previously."

The hologram display shivers and the details of the Monokuma File start to form for all of us to see.

"The victim's body was discovered by the lake in the Castle Grounds. The victim appears to have drowned, resulting in death. Alcohol was found in the victim's system, though no chemicals such as poison were detected," reads Mitsu.

"Well, that's very revealing," Kimi sighs. "Once again it tells us nothing of importance!"

"Nothing of importance?" Haru echoes, eyebrows raised. "I guess you weren't paying attention last time round, huh?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she snaps, folding her arms.

"Well, remember what the other Files have told us," Haru says, coolly. "It'll save us a lot of time rather than having to go over the whole process again."

"Oh, you mean the information that the previous Files had, right?" Hikaru says.

"Let me save you all the effort," Mitsu says, flicking the screen of her ElectroID. A moment later, the hologram display shifts again, this time displaying all three Monokuma Files. "I thought it might come up again, so I made sure to record my notes on the ElectroID."

"So, what does each File tell us then?" Haru asks the group. Masashi rolls his eyes – he knows but he isn't saying. There are a few puzzled looks from some of the others though. It takes me a moment too, to be honest. The stress – and the cold that's still aching in my bones – is kind of making it hard to focus, but I fight it…

"It tells us where the victim was found," I say. "That's always been there in both cases. In Kaori and Ayaka's case, that was really all the information we got."

"Yeah, so nothing out of the ordinary there," shrugs Yamato. "We know where Yuki was found – doesn't tell us anything."

"That isn't all the File tells us though," Mitsu says. "Go on, Kei."

"Well, the first File also told us the cause of death," I say. "And it looks like this third File does too."

"Well, at least that's kind of helpful," Miniro says. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ino giving him a look that could probably cut most people to ribbons.

"The first File did a toxin test too," I continue, getting into my stride a little now as I compare the three Files. "That proved to be helpful in its absence from the second File."

"So, wait, we're not actually looking for what the File tells us, but more… what it doesn't tell us?" Yamato frowns.

"Th-that would a-a-appear to be the c-case, Mr N-Nagai," Daisuke nods. "Wh-which would suggest that th-the t-time of death is r-relevant in this i-instance, yes?"

"Well, that would make sense, I suppose!" Blessing says, she taps at her screen and the hologram settles back on the third File. "It appears the time is the only thing this particular File is missing."

"That doesn't help us out much though, does it?" Yamato says, throwing his arms up in frustration. "I mean… for all we know she was lying out there barely any time at all, or for hours even!"

"Maybe it's worth breaking things down bit-by-bit?" Blessing suggests. "Perhaps that'll make things clearer?"

"How far back do we go though?" Miniro asks.

"Well, logically, the best point is the party last night," Hikaru says.

"She was definitely at the party," Yamato nods, confidently. "I remember that much!"

Masashi drags his hands down his face in frustration. "Yes, thank you for that incredible insight," he says through gritted teeth. "A bit more precise, perhaps?"

"Let's talk it through, then!" Hikaru says. "We all left the party at different times so we can probably try and pin down our start point from that, right?"

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Yamato agrees. "And, um… it might clear things up for my benefit too… My memory's a little hazy…"

"I must admit, my memories of the later part of the evening are… a little confused too," Kimi nods. "Who was first to leave the gathering?"

I frown a little as I try to remember. If I'm honest, it's a little cloudy for me too, but if I really concentrate…

"Daisuke and Miniro were the first to leave the Ballroom," I say as it finally comes back to me. "They both left together, right? About 2.30am?"

"That's right," Miniro says. "Daisuke and I went back to the Dormitories."

"Y-yes, M-Mr Shirane and I w-went for a walk in the G-Grounds for a short while s-s-so I could get some f-fresh air, and then h-he made s-sure I got s-safely to my b-bed and s-stayed until I f-fell asleep," Daisuke says. He seems to realise what he's said and his face darkens – his blush obvious even through the yellow glow of the trial ground's lighting.

"That's right," Miniro adds, seemingly oblivious to Daisuke's sudden embarrassment. "We couldn't have been outside any longer than half an hour. And after we got back, Daisuke was out like a light after a couple minutes. After he was asleep, I made sure to lock the door behind me and then went straight to my own room."

"Hm, alright… then who was next?"

"Kimi, Blessing and I were next," Mitsu says.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," I realise. "It was you three that left next – like… maybe between half an hour and an hour later?"

"That would take us up to between 3 and 3.30am then, yeah?" Hikaru says.

"And it was only a few minutes later that Yuki left," Haru says.

"Hey, that's right!" Yamato says, pointing across his podium. "She left with Ino!"

Suddenly, all eyes are on her. I expect her to launch into an abusive tirade but instead she looks… flustered!

"Care to explain where you went, Ino?" Masashi asks.

"I…"

She lapses into silence, her fingers suddenly tangling into her ponytail. Her cheeks are puffed out, as if the words are just building up in there. And she can't meet anyone's gaze…

"You're going to have to speak up."

"I-I…" she tries to speak but it comes out as no more than a weird choking sound.

"Ino?" Blessing asks gently. "You… you need to tell us what happened. Did… did something happen?"

Ino shakes her head rapidly, but she still can't seem to speak.

"She's trying not to incriminate herself," Masashi says with a humourless laugh. "Though of course, the silent act doesn't do much to help your case either."

"I don't think it's as simple as that," I say, shaking my head. "It's not guilt, or shame... It's… embarrassment."

"What do you mean, man?!" Yamato says, throwing his arms up. "She kinda seems… y'know, pretty suspicious right now!"

"No," I reply. "She's flustered, not ashamed. And she's trying to speak, but she's tongue-tied! Like Daisuke was earlier!" I point at him and then grimace at his sudden look of discomfort. "Um, sorry, Daisuke…"

"I-it's no problem, Mr K-Kamiya," Daisuke says, fidgeting at his sleeves nervously.

"I mean, if anyone's gonna pick up on the body language thing I guess it's Kei," Miniro says. "And now you mention it, that does look about right…"

"That's fine in theory," Masashi snaps, "but is it actually true? What is there to get so embarrassed about?"

"Because it wasn't just a coincidence that Ino and Yuki left the Ballroom together, was it?" Hikaru says gently, turning back to face Ino. "You wanted to be alone together."

Ino goes to speak again but her voice catches in her throat. Instead, she settles for a nod.

"I don't like her being quiet," murmurs Yamato. "It's very disconcerting…"

"Just take your time, Ino," Hikaru says, soothingly. "But you need to tell us what happened." We all look to her again, and she grimaces for a moment, before she closes her eyes and clenches her fists at her sides.

"We… we went to her Salon," she says. "We… were just fooling around, y'know?"

"And you killed her by accident?" Yamato asks.

"And then managed to drag her down to the lake with barely a trace?" Mitsu says, eyebrows raised.

"Don't be dense, Yamato," sighs Masashi.

"Okaaay, sorry, jeez, forget I spoke!" Yamato huffs, crossing his arms irritably.

"Go on, Ino," Haru insists.

"Well… that was it, really," Ino says, squirming. "We fooled around a little on the Fourth Floor Landing and then… we went back downstairs to our rooms."

"And did anyone happen to see you at any point?"

"Well, uh, yeah, actually…" she says. "Now I think about it, Miniro was just going back into his room as Yuki and I got back."

"Is this true, Miniro?"

Miniro scratches his head for a moment, deep in thought, and then – clicking his fingers – he nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah, that's right!" he says. "I was pretty tired but I do remember seeing the two of them just coming up the stairs from the Common Room as I got to my door!"

"Well, I suppose that gives you both alibis for that time, at least," Masashi says, almost irritably. Did he really think this was gonna be as simple as that?

"So, anyway… I walked her to her room and we, um… kissed goodnight and whatever and she said she'd… see me in the morning…"

"Oh, Ino," Blessing says, sadly. "I'm so sorry…"

"It doesn't matter!" Ino snaps at her. Suddenly, the squirming, uncomfortable, embarrassed girl is gone, and the usual hot-headed, terrifying Ino is back in her place. "Someone in this room fucking killed her!" She points at the stand two to the right of mine, where the portrait of Yuki's face smiles back across at the rest of us. "I don't want fucking consoling or apologies. I wanna see the fucking coward that did it die!"

There's a few gasps – admittedly, one from me – but Haru, Masashi, and Mitsu all seem less affected. At the very least, Mitsu looks a little sad, but the other two are standing there with totally neutral expressions, as if Ino had made a casual remark about the weather! It wasn't the words themselves that had scared me though… it was the fact that I totally believed she meant them.

"Well, if you're quite done," Masashi says after a few long moments have passed, "perhaps you could tell us around what time you left Yuki at her room?"

"It would have been between 3.30am and 4am," Miniro says. "Daisuke and I wandered for quite a while, and then I was in Daisuke's room for a short time too, so that would probably place me going to bed."

"Next down after that would have been me and Kei," Hikaru says. "We were gonna wait on the others, but Haru said he'd help get Yamato and Masashi back downstairs."

"That's true," Haru nods. "It took a while but I got them there eventually."

"So Yuki returned to her room at, say, 3.45am," Mitsu says, scribbling down in her notebook as she talks. "And presumably neither of you two saw her?"

"Oh, we couldn't have!" I realise. "We left the Ballroom about five minutes or so after Yuki and Ino left, so they would still have been on the Fourth Floor Landing while Hikaru and I were on our way back to the Dormitories."

"Hey, that's right!" Hikaru nods. "I don't know what time we got back for definite but we didn't pass anyone the whole way, and we were taking our time I'd say."

"It would be before 3.45am though?" Blessing asks.

I nod. "I can't think of any other route they could have taken from the Fourth Floor Landing to overtake us and get to the Dormitories first, so I'd say so, yeah."

"And neither Masashi, Yamato, or I saw her either," Haru says. "I definitely remember checking my ElectroID before I got into bed though – and that was about 4.30am."

"And that still leaves a forty-five minute window. So really it could have been any time after 3.45am?" sighs Blessing, wringing her hands together.

"I am afraid this does not help us at all," Kimi says. "Perhaps we could figure out when the latest possible time she could have been killed was?"

"Well… Kei found the body first," Masashi says. "What time would you say that was at?"

"Um… I couldn't say for definite," I admit.

"We came to your door at around 7.50pm," Mitsu informs me.

"Right… and I pretty much went straight to the Upper Castle and checked around there for… well, it probably only took me 20 minutes going as quick as I was. Then I made my way down to the lake, and those stairs take at least 5 minutes when you're trying to be careful, so I suppose that would be around 8.30pm I first saw Yuki's body."

I shudder, remembering the way the clouds had parted and the moonlight spilling down onto her corpse. It was really like I was in a horror movie in that moment. I knew it would haunt me for a long time.

"Alright, so that just leaves us a… well… about 16 hour window," Yamato says with a grimace. "Oh, boy, that's easy peasy!"

"Well, realistically, you can probably wind back the 5-10 minutes that it took Kei to get down to the lake," points out Miniro.

"Couldn't you really just knock it all the way back to 7.50pm at the latest?" asks Hikaru. "We were all in the Dormitories at that time, right?"

"Not all of us," says Ino, quietly.

"Well, she wasn't… no… sorry," Hikaru says, uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to be insensitive…"

"I didn't mean Yuki," Ino growls. "Haru and Masashi went off by themselves. And what's to say Kei didn't do it himself?"

"H-huh?!" I cry out.

"Well?" asks Ino. "You were the one who found the body – doesn't that make you a pretty good suspect? Maybe you thought you could set it up while we were all upstairs out of the way?"

"I-Ino, no!" I say. I try to keep my cool, but I can feel the others starting to look at me, and I can feel the panic rising in my chest.

"It's not totally out of the question, I suppose," Masashi says. "And of course, there isn't really anyone who can support you."

"So, Kei just happened to bump into Yuki down by the lake and thought: 'Oh, I should murder her, that's a really smart idea'?" Hikaru cries, incredulously. "While everyone is looking for her?"

"I didn't say it was a definite, but it is a possibility," Masashi says. "And don't get sentimental. We have quite enough sentimentality going for us right now, thank you."

"How can you be so cold, Masashi?" Miniro says, shaking his head in disappointment. "We've lost another friend today. Are we supposed to just forget that?"

"Of course not," Masashi says. "But feeling sad about it is hardly going to help us find out who killed her."

"Well, Kei, do you have any evidence that could suggest that you didn't kill her?" Kimi asks me.

My thoughts start to fizz about in my head as the panic really starts to settle in. I need to concentrate. Think over the evidence. Think… carefully.

That's it!

"I think I might," I say. "Something we could've looked at already to make this a whole lot simpler."

"What do you mean, Kei?" Blessing asks. "We've missed something already?"

"That's not promising, is it?" sighs Yamato with a shrug. "Okay, lay it on us, man."

"The note in Yuki's room," I explain, tapping away at the screen of my ElectroID for a moment. I scroll down the list of evidence and tap the appropriate tab. A moment later, the hologram in the middle of the room changes to show the note.

I HAD FUN TONIGHT - MEET ME BY THE LAKE AT 5AM AND WE CAN HAVE AN AFTERPARTY. Xxx

"5am, huh?" Yamato says. "I was totally passed out by that time!"

"You were passed out while I was trying to get you down the stairs," Haru says, irritably. "But, yes, Kei's right, this would suggest the time of death was around 5am."

"Can we trust this note though? Isn't it possible that the culprit simply did this afterwards and placed it there to confuse us?" asks Miniro.

"That would require them having to get into Yuki's room," Hikaru points out.

"Is that so impossible?" Kimi says. "Surely they could have just… placed it there after killing Yuki?"

"Yeah, couldn't they have just shoved in under the door?" Miniro suggests.

"N-no, Mr Sh-Shirane," Daisuke says, shaking his head. "I-I found it on the b-bed."

"And it definitely wasn't on the floor when you first walked in?" Masashi queries, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it wasn't," Blessing says, shaking her head. "Kimi and I were the first to enter Yuki's room, and Daisuke came in after us. There was nothing at the door."

That wasn't necessarily true, but I didn't want to bring it up straight away. Yuki's ElectroID was still playing on my mind, but I didn't want to mention it until I'd had a chance to think about it properly. Typically, things didn't go my way…

"That's not totally true," Kimi points out. "We did discover Yuki's ElectroID was in her room, though it appeared to have been destroyed."

"Destroyed?!" Monokuma gasps, suddenly. "Why, it's almost like they cut the budget this time round!"

"What are you getting at? What do you mean 'this time round'?" Mitsu asks, turning to face him. Monokuma suddenly looks shifty. Shiftier than usual, at least.

"Well… uh, y'see… that was a slip of the tongue… Um, anyway… what I meant was… I may have been a little lazy and… ahem… diverted some of the budget away from indestructible ElectroIDs and… used it for pina colada mix instead."

"So, wait, our ElectroIDs are meant to be unbreakable?" Yamato asks.

"Look, I had to meet deadlines," Monokuma shrugs. "They're… a little flimsier than I might have originally intended, but it is what it is, right? I mean, no one died." He mock gasps and brings a paw to his mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, how thoughtless of me!"

"You son of a bitch!" Ino roars at him. Monokuma unsheathes his claws with an unsettling metallic swoosh and points them at her.

"Don't let me hear saying such things about Mamakuma again, okay?" he warns her, in a low, dangerous voice. Ino looks back at the bear reproachfully, and then turns away, folding her arms.

"Anyway…" Hikaru says, "back in... er… reality… someone destroyed Yuki's ElectroID?"

"Must have been after they used it to let themselves into her room to plant that note," says Yamato.

"I'm not sure, Yamato," I say, shaking my head slightly. "Something doesn't seem right about that."

"How d'you mean?" he asks, a little huffily. "It doesn't seem that impossible, right?"

"Well, wouldn't that be a particularly big risk?" I say. "For the culprit, I mean. Like, what if someone had seen them coming out of Yuki's room at any point? That'd be them caught out straight away."

"That's a fair point, actually," agrees Hikaru, rubbing his chin. "It's still possible that was the case, but it would definitely be a massive risk."

"And murder isn't?" Masashi drawls, rolling his eyes.

"Well, that makes the note seem more likely, doesn't it?" Hikaru replies, frowning at him. "Yuki sees it, goes down to the lake out of the way of everyone else, and then the culprit kills her."

"And the earlier they do it, the more time they buy themselves for any last-minute clean-up jobs," Mitsu nods. "Yeah, the note is looking more valid by the minute."

"So, we agree that the culprit sent the note to Yuki, and that's what got her down to the lake?" Haru asks.

"I suppose this seems most likely," Kimi says.

"Y-yes, I agree," Daisuke says.

There are a few more murmurs of agreement around the circle of podiums. I notice Ino says nothing. She's been pretty much silent so far, but she's been paying attention to every word we've been saying… I wonder what she's thinking. I wonder what everyone's thinking right now… in their deepest, darkest thoughts.

"So that proves that Kei didn't kill Yuki while we were all searching," Hikaru says, finally. He gives me a small smile, like he's trying to reassure me, and then turns back to face the central hologram. "Now, if only we could work out who sent this…"

"I don't think we're going to get any more clues from that," sighs Mitsu. "I tried to compare the handwriting to some examples of everyone else's but whoever did this was careful and wrote in pretty uniform capital letters. It'd take an actual expert or a computer to really work it out based on that."

"Well, it's helped us confirm that Yuki's time of death was around 5am," Blessing points out. "Oh, but that means…"

"That means she was lying out there for over 12 hours," I say, sadly.

"Oh, you're not all going to start doing this again, are you?" Masashi snaps, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Save it for later. We're in the middle of something! Or did you all forget?"

"Of course we didn't forget, Masashi," Haru says, calmly, "but a bit of human compassion doesn't go amiss now and again. You should know – you tried it for a while."

"Until my neck was put on the chopping block with everyone else's," Masashi grunts. "Forgive me if my urge to survive is interfering with your prayer circle or whatever."

"P-please, Mr U-Uno!" cries Daisuke, covering his mouth in shock. "Th-there's no need for this."

"If we're all quite finished?" Mitsu asks, looking at Masashi coldly. He shrugs, but then an unpleasant smirk crosses his face.

"Well, I'm happy to move on if the rest of them are," he says, nastily. Despite myself, I feel a rush of anger flare up in me from my very core, only just able to bite my tongue.

"So, we know the time of death was around 5am now," Hikaru says. "And the last two people we're aware of seeing her alive was Ino and Miniro about an hour and fifteen minutes before then."

"And she would have left her room at around 4.45am to make sure she got down to the lake on time, right?" Yamato says. "It takes about that long to walk from the Common Room to there if you're not running."

"So when was the note sent to Yuki?" frowns Blessing.

"Most likely after she got back to her room," Mitsu says. "While they could have just slid it under the door, presumably Ino would have noticed, or indeed, there would have been the possibility that Yuki would have missed it and simply went to bed."

"So it would have to been sent pretty soon after Ino and Miniro went back to their rooms," Haru says, nodding his agreement.

"So… this basically doesn't rule anyone out," Miniro says, disappointed. He shakes his head a little as if he's coming to his senses and adds, "But this brings us one step closer, I'm sure!"

"More like one step forward, two steps back," mutters Masashi under his breath.

The room falls into a thoughtful silence for a few long moments. I take this time to quickly look round at the others and take in their expressions. God, funny how prevalent panic is when your lives are all at stake… Even Mitsu and Haru, who are usually pretty good at keeping their cool look like they're barely containing the fear that's eating away at all of us, individually and as a group.

"S-So what do w-we look at now?" Daisuke asks, timidly. "W-we seem to still ha-have a lot of d-discussion to be g-getting on with."

"How about the murder weapon?" Hikaru suggests, looking round at us all for a response. "We got the time of death out of the way, more or less, so I guess that's the next logical step, yeah?"

"Murder weapon?" asks Blessing.

"Surely there was no murder weapon?" Kimi says in confusion.

"Yes and no," I reply, flicking the screen back to the Monokuma File. "It says Yuki's cause of death was drowning, see?"

"Well, yes," Kimi says, "but are you saying that the lake was the murder weapon?"

"Like I said, yes and no…" I murmur. "I don't think it's as simple as that."

"Simple?!" Masashi says with a derisive snort. "God forbid anything's simple in this ridiculous place."

"Just another day at the office," sighs Haru. "Any actual theory though, Kei?"

"Not quite yet," I admit with a sigh. "But… well, it seems wrong, doesn't it?"

"Well, quite a lot seems 'wrong', man," Yamato grimaces. "You might wanna be more specific."

"I can't quite put my finger on it yet," I reply. "It's like I'm missing something obvious…"

"Oh, I see!" Blessing says, clapping her hands together. She turns to me. "Yuki's injuries and the cause of death don't quite add up, do they?"

"That's it!" I realise. "Blessing, yes, that's it! The head wound!"

"What about the head wound?" asks Miniro.

"Why does she have a head wound in the first place if the culprit was just gonna drown her?" I ask.

Hikaru's eyes light up. "Oh…" he says, slowly. "That's… oh…"

"Maybe she bumped her head?" Yamato suggests.

"Does that look like she just bumped her head?" Masashi says, pointing up at the hologram as it shifts to display a close up of Yuki's wound. "Honestly, it's just lucky there's enough people with functioning brains left alive to make up for your prattle."

"I'd rather prattle than be a prat," Yamato retorts with an angry pout. "Anyway, mastermind, wanna tell us what it means then?"

The nickname seems to ruffle Masashi's feathers for a moment, but he regains his composure and points up to the hologram again.

"The culprit struck Yuki in the side of the head," he says. "You can tell by the fact her head is split open and bleeding, just in case you need that spelled out, Yamato."

"Stop it," Mitsu says, pointing a warning finger at him. "If the others being sentimental is too much of a distraction for you, just think how distracting it is to listen to you being petty and petulant."

"I-I…" Masashi's genuinely lost for words – just opening and closing his mouth like a particularly strange goldfish. Mitsu ignores him.

"But, yes, it would seem that Yuki was struck with something that left a sizeable wound," she says. "Of course, it's impossible to say how much blood there may have been because it would have been washed away as her head was submerged underwater."

I feel another gut-punch of shame when I think about Ino, cradling Yuki's body in her arms at the lakeside, screaming at me for not thinking of moving her beforehand… I wish I'd known what to do in that moment… I still don't think I'd know what to do, really. I remember what Haru had said though – if I'd moved her, it could have complicated matters and incriminated me straight from the beginning. Sometimes there just aren't any right answers, I guess…

"What was Yuki hit with though?" asks Miniro. "There wasn't any sorta weapon at the lakeside. Is it possible the culprit threw it into the lake?"

"That does seem likely," agrees Yamato with a shrug. "I mean… we're hardly gonna find any evidence unless we'd have been stupid enough to try jumping into that freezing cold lake!"

"While that would be one way of doing it," Mitsu says, nodding slightly, "I think the culprit probably tried to be a little sneakier than that."

"What makes you think that?" Blessing asks.

"Oh, I get it!" Yamato cuts in as Mitsu goes to reply. "You mean they did something else with it right?"

"B-but what did they d-do with it?" Daisuke stammers.

"Well, they could have chucked it in the lake," Yamato says, "but we're thinking something else, right?"

"Perhaps they concealed it upon their own person?" Kimi suggests.

"Only if they have very big pockets," Mitsu says.

"Or a bag," Kimi retorts, eyeing Mitsu's satchel with suspicion.

"I think any kind of weapon that could have inflicted that sort of head wound would have had to be a decent size," Hikaru says, shaking his head. "And Mitsu's satchel is fairly small."

"I don't mind showing you all what's in it, anyway," Mitsu says with a shrug, unclipping the satchel and opening it up. She tilts it and slowly moves it so everyone around the circle of podiums can see that besides several notebooks and pens, there's relatively little else to take notice of.

"Well, that solved that," Haru says. "Shall we continue?"

"I think that may be a good idea," agrees Mitsu. "Unless anyone else has anything to add?"

"W-well, it's n-not really a-about the murder weapon," Daisuke says, fidgeting with his sleeves once again. "B-but I w-was thinking about the n-note again and-"

"Hadn't we already decided that wasn't gonna give us any more clues though?" Yamato interrupts.

"Y-yes, b-but..."

"Then what is the relevancy of this?" Kimi snaps. Daisuke opens and shuts his mouth a couple times and then tries to speak again.

"I-I was just thinking th-that-"

"This is ridiculous," mutters Masashi.

"Everyone," Miniro says loudly, "Daisuke's obviously worked out something that could be super important, so give him the chance to speak."

"I-I don't know if it's i-important but th-thank you, anyway, M-Mr Shirane," Daisuke says with a faint wobbly smile. "I w-was thinking about the p-paper that the n-n-note was written on. I-is it possible that c-could have provided us with any clues?"

"Hey, you're right!" Hikaru says, enthusiastically slamming his hands down on his stand. "Good call, Daisuke!"

"Th-thank you, Mr O-Okimoto," Daisuke says, looking a little embarrassed.

The note is back on the hologram display and the screens now, revolving slowly so we can see it from every angle.

"Well, anyone got any suggestions?" Yamato asks.

"You should know!" I tell him. He looks at me, stunned.

"What do you mean?!" he squawks. "I didn't do anything!"

"I don't mean that!" I cry. "I mean, you should know based on where we were investigating earlier."

"Oh!" His face lights up with realisation for a second but as quickly as it's there it's gone again. "Um... remind me?"

I fight the urge to rub my temples. "We went to the Gym, remember?"

"Yeah, that!" he beams. "Uh, do you maybe just wanna keep going with this. You're more in your stride with these things than I am..."

"You should probably pay more attention, y'know," Haru says to him. He folds his arms and then turns to me. "You better keep going, Kei."

"Okay," I nod. "Well, Yamato pointed out that if the note had come from paper we found somewhere in the Gym, that made it all the more likely that the culprit could have also taken something from there to use as the murder weapon. Otherwise it just seems pointlessly complicated."

"And you believe the culprit did use some kind of paper from the Gym?" Mitsu asks.

I nod. "In fact, I'm certain they did." I take a second to scroll through my ElectroID til I find the torn poster that I'd found earlier. "Look at this!"

The hologram shifts and changes to show the poster now – the edges where its been torn lining up almost exactly with where the note had been displayed seconds ago. I try to fidget with my screen to get the note back up too but Mitsu gets there first, restoring the poster to its original undamaged condition, though it now had the writing from the note on the back.

"Well, that's very interesting, isn't it?" comments Masashi, rubbing his chin. "And where was this?"

"The posters I wanted to take a look at on the reception table in the Gym. Well, it was originally, I guess. I found this one all scrunched up in the wastepaper basket," I explain.

"So someone made sloppy work of disposing of it," Masashi says with a faintly satanic grin. "This makes things very interesting indeed."

"How so?" Miniro asks, scratching his head.

"Because it's like what Yamato via Kei said," Hikaru explains. "The poster coming from the Gym makes it likely that there'd be more evidence relevant to this case there. And most likely it'd have to be the weapon that was used in the murder."

"I imagine someone has just started sweating a little bit harder," Masashi smirks. "It's certainly brought us a step closer to finding them in any case."

"Then, perhaps this is time that Blessing and I share a piece of evidence we found just as we were leaving Yuki's room," Kimi says. "I think it may be worth mentioning before we go any further..."

"You two found something else?" Hikaru asks. "That's great!"

"I am sorry, Hikaru," Kimi says, shaking her head slowly. "I don't think you'll agree that is the case in a moment..."

I frown. "How d'you mean? Blessing?"

Blessing suddenly can't quite meet anyone's eye. "I'm not sure what to think, but we had to mention it... We found it in Yuki's room and... well, I can't think of any other way it would have got there..."

She touches her ElectroID screen and the hologram at the centre of the chamber shifts and reforms to show what looks like a large, curved piece of metal. For a second I can't quite figure out what I'm meant to be looking at, but then realisation hits me.

"That's... a bobby pin, isn't it?" Miniro asks.

"And one of Hikaru's, to be precise..." Masashi says, scrutinising it closely and then turning to Hikaru. "Well, well..."

As if drawn by some magnetic force, we all find ourselves looking to Hikaru... He looks back round at us all in total shock. "I... don't understand!"

Surely not...

Surely not... him?

* * *

 **TRIAL INTERMISSION**

 **11 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	25. Chapter 03: The Third Class Trial (II)

I don't know what to think... It definitely appears to be one of Hikaru's bobby pins, but... he couldn't have killed Yuki, could he? He would never do something like that... Right?

I realise I've tuned out a little and I try to focus back on what's being said, trying to ignore the dull ache I'm starting to feel in my heart.

"Well, it's suspicious, isn't it?" Kimi is saying, pointing an accusing finger at him. "What were you doing in Yuki's room?"

"I haven't been in Yuki's room!" Hikaru insists.

"Since before you murdered her?" Masashi inquires.

"I didn't!" Hikaru cries. "Please, everyone, you have to believe me! I wouldn't do this! I haven't done this!"

He looks at me, and I can see the fear in his eyes. Those sad eyes...

I can hear the others talking, but I'm not listening. For a split second, it's just me and him... Hikaru... you couldn't have, could you? After we...

It's only when he looks away again and I fall back into reality I realise I completely believe he's innocent. But the bobby pin would suggest he'd been in Yuki's room... and he didn't have an alibi...

Could I really risk ignoring the evidence now? It wouldn't be just my life I'd be risking if I made an error of judgment. Surely there had to be some evidence that he was innocent.

The others are still talking and arguing, bouncing questions and accusations off Hikaru and each other. I'm trying to focus but all I can think now is finding that one piece of evidence... There has to be something I've missed. Something that'll change things...

And then my focus is stolen again.

"Looks like this is my cue!" Monokuma cheers. Then he holds his paws up and announces, "Hope's Peak Academy's Secondary Branch is proud to present its brand new morphenomenal trial grounds!"

"Is he going to say that every time?" Yamato asks as Monokuma brandishes the silver key from wherever he's been hiding it and jams it into the locking mechanism that has risen up at the front of his throne.

The characteristic trilling of the device is my signal to grab onto my podium and hold on tightly as the podiums start to rise higher and higher, coiling in a spiral as we ascend towards the ceiling. Once again, the walls slide in towards us and then lock into place, and our stands follow suit, making two long rows.

This time, the left hand side starts with Masashi, then Blessing, then Yamato, then Ino, then Kimi. On the right hand side, I'm on the end facing off against Masashi, with Haru to my side, then Mitsu, then Miniro, then Daisuke, and finally Hikaru. Arata, Kaori, and Yuki's empty stands have joined onto the 'opposing' side, while Cho, Fumio, and Ayaka's have joined ours. As always, Monokuma is at the top end of the rows, furthest away from me, thankfully.

"Now, let's see..." Monokuma says with glee, "you're divided on whether or not Hikaru Okimoto is the big ol' meanie who is responsible for this crime, and now it's real scrum debate hours! Rebut your opponents to keep things moving smoothly, and I just _know_ you'll come to a conclusion as a group! Ready? Good, then let's begin!"

Hikaru already looks defeated... and even though I believe him, I don't know what I can say to help his case, or keep this Trial going on... He's facing Arata's empty podium, and he just looks lost.

"I just don't understand how my bobby pin ended up there," he says.

Without a second's hesitation, Kimi cries, "The bobby pin in Yuki's room proves it was Hikaru!"

"B-but Yuki w-was the Ul-Ul-Ultimate Hairdresser," Daisuke replies, nervously adjusting his shirt collar. "Sh-she wore plenty of b-bobby pins."

"Only Hikaru had these blue ones though!" Ino responds, fists clenched.

"That doesn't mean Hikaru's the one who put it there," reasons Miniro.

"I'm kinda struggling to see why someone else would have one, though," Yamato admits, scratching his head. "Sorry, man..."

"Of course, it's possible that someone else had taken one to plant as evidence," Mitsu points out.

"But he was also one of the last people to be seen by the lake earlier," Blessing recalls. "I hate to think it of him – of anyone – but is it possible that was when he got into Yuki's room?"

Haru shakes his head in disagreement. "But there were several other people seen after he showed up too. And it seems pretty unlikely that he'd have gone completely unnoticed going into Yuki's room at that point."

My heart's in my mouth now... I can't think of a single thing. Masashi's about to speak and I can't think of a single thing to say...

And then I realise...

There's something I can do!

But it's a pretty huge risk... if I don't pull this off I could get everyone killed.

Is it worth it?

"Then it's possible he did it in the early hours of the morning, as he would have been alone around the time that Yuki went to the lake," Masashi suggests.

Do I do it?

Do I... lie?

Balling my hands into fists at my sides, I look over at Masashi who's staring at me, eyebrow raised, awaiting a reply. I need to make up my mind right now.

"But Hikaru wasn't alone in the morning," I say, trying to seem as natural as possible. "He was with me til after the time that Yuki was killed."

"Huh?" At the end of my row, I see Hikaru look up at me.

"I'm sorry, but I had to tell the truth, Hikaru," I tell him, hating myself for this. I look round at the others and shake my head. "Hikaru ended up staying in my room last night, so he wouldn't have been able to kill Yuki by the lake!"

"Ohoho, do I smell a salacious scandal?!" Monokuma squeals. "Doesn't it just get your heart _pumping,_ upupu! Going _doooooooown_!"

With a clunk, the podiums are released, and one-by-one we start to descend downwards. The wind rushes through my hair, stinging at my eyes. The guilt at what I've just done is amplified by the sudden motion sickness, but I hold on tight and try to tune it out. If I'm right, I could have just saved all our lives.

And what if I'm wrong?

There's no time to think about that now...

With barely a chance to recover, the discussion continues.

"So Hikaru and Kei were together this morning," Yamato says, thoughtfully. "You mean you guys had a sleepover and didn't think to invite the rest of us?"

"Uh, it was more just that by the time we'd got downstairs and Hikaru had helped me back to my room we both kinda just passed out," I say, trying to act like I was embarrassed, while looking over at Hikaru the entire time. I feel sick with guilt for doing this but I'm still trying to silently signal with him that he needs to go along with it.

"Y... yeah," Hikaru says, finally, though he doesn't take his eyes off me the entire time. "I stayed in Kei's room."

"And you didn't think that this was relevant beforehand?" Masashi queries, eyeing us both with suspicion.

I had to think on the spot. The morning after... this morning, I guess... they'd all acted like they suspected something happened... I guess that works in my – our – favour.

"We kinda figured you guys already knew as much," I say, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "Y'know... with the way you were teasing me in the Dining Hall and stuff..."

"But you'd came down together separately," Haru said.

I look at him as if I'm surprised at him for missing something obvious. "Well, yeah, we figured it would have looked less obvious that way."

"That does make sense," Miniro says with a nod. "And I guess by lunchtime Yuki had already been dead for hours."

"That does seem to be the case," Mitsu agrees. Her gaze lingers on me a little longer than I'm comfortable with – I can tell she probably suspects I haven't been completely honest, but she doesn't seem to be making any sign that she's going to expose my lie. "Then I suppose that leaves us with the question of how Hikaru's bobby pin found itself into Yuki's room in the first place."

"It could have been used to frame him," I say to the others, "like Mitsu suggested in the Scrum Debate."

"But why him?" asks Yamato.

"It does seem strange that someone would target Hikaru specifically," Miniro nods.

"It could have been a matter of convenience," Haru suggests. "Throw something into the mix that could have made this fairly open-and-shut..."

"But how would they have got one of Hikaru's bobby pins in the first place?" Blessing asks. She looks at Hikaru, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry for doubting you before, Hikaru, but do you think you could tell us who else could have possibly had one of them?"

Hikaru purses his lips and shakes his head, sadly. "I... I can't think, honestly. I took a few out when I'd tidied my hair up before the party, so it's possible I'd dropped a spare... except..." His eyes suddenly light up. "I gave one to Ino the other day!"

"H-huh?!" Ino squawks. "Don't go trying to pin this on me now!"

"He's right though," I nod. "It was in the Dining Hall. I remember because you'd asked him if it was the same one that had fell onto his plate at dinner the night before."

"I... well... okay, yeah, I did but what does that prove?" Ino says, folding her arms.

"For one, it shows that Hikaru is even less likely to have been the one person who could have left the bobby pin there," Haru says. "I don't recall you wearing a bobby pin like that last night though, so when did it end up in Yuki's room? Had it fell out of your pocket when you'd walked her back to her room?"

"No, no, no," Ino says, shaking her head rapidly. "I haven't had the thing since yesterday afternoon. I'd taken it out before we all started getting ready in the Salon."

"I do seem to remember seeing her take something out of her hair when we were in the Salon," Mitsu admits.

"I believe I do too, come to mention it," Kimi agrees, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose that does make it all the more likely that Hikaru is not the culprit. I apologise to you."

Hikaru looks a little flustered. "I-It's fine, really. I get that it's... y'know... a crazy situation and all."

"But then the question is: how did the bobby pin get from the Salon to Yuki's room?" Blessing asks.

"Th-there seems to be three w-ways I can th-think of," Daisuke says, timidly raising a hand to get our attention as if he's in a classroom. "Either i-it was sn-snagged on Ms T-Tadeshi or Ms Watabe's cl-clothing when th-they'd returned to the S-Salon together, or Ms T-Tadeshi simply p-picked it up to use or re-return it to Mr O-Okimoto, o-or the culprit p-picked it up to pl-plant as evidence."

"Hey, that's a good call, Daisuke!" Miniro says, beaming with pride as he flashes Daisuke a thumbs up. "Good job!"

Daisuke's face deepens into a blush. "Th-thank you, Mr Sh-Shirane."

"I suppose it isn't outside the realm of possibility that the bobby pin had attached itself to Ino or Yuki's clothing, or that Yuki herself picked it up" Haru says, rubbing his chin. "I'm assuming you aren't aware of this?"

Ino shakes her head. "Nah, not at all."

"Then it would seem that it must have either been intentionally moved by Yuki or the culprit," Haru concludes, then turns to look between Kimi and Blessing. "Whereabouts in the room did you find the bobby pin anyway?"

"Near the door," Blessing says. "It was perhaps only a foot or so from the doorway, so Kimi had noticed it as soon as we stepped in. That was when we also noticed the damaged ElectroID."

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that," Mitsu says. "That's two bits of evidence found in that same spot now, while the note was found at the far side of Yuki's room on the bed. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

"The ElectroID and the bobby pin were both found at the door," Hikaru frowns. "But what does that mean?"

The placement of the three items... and the circumstances in which we had found them... I try to think back over the case, and the evening overall...

"I've got it!" I say, as realisation dawns on me. "The ElectroID and the bobby pin ended up where they were discovered in Yuki's room _after_ the note had been delivered."

"But the door was locked, and surely the only way to lock it would have been using Yuki's ElectroID," Masashi counters. "How can you account for that if the thing was broken?"

"Because I don't think it was broken before anyone else went to Yuki's room," I say. "I've been thinking about it... and the way the ElectroID was positioned – and now the bobby pin – makes me think that it wasn't as simple as it just being locked within the room."

"To think we're dealing with a locked room mystery," Yamato says, dramatically. "It's like something from a detective show!"

"I don't think there's much of a mystery to this particular aspect of it though," I say. "The condition the ElectroID was in and where we found it makes me think that it had been stuck under Yuki's door."

"I was thinking the same thing," Haru admits. "It seemed fairly likely going by what the others had said about the room, and of course, the condition it appeared to be in, that that was the case."

"But there's not a very big gap," frowns Kimi. "How would it have fit under?"

"The ElectroIDs are fairly thin," I say, lifting mine up and waving it around for emphasis. "I reckon with a bit of effort it would have at least got most of the way under the door."

"Only for it to be damaged when the door is opened," Haru concludes.

"But why would someone go to the effort of doing such a thing?" Blessing asks.

Hikaru snaps his fingers. "Oh! So that if anyone were to check their map on the ElectroID to look for Yuki it would appear as if she was in her room the entire time!"

"So it was a distraction tactic?" Yamato asks, scratching the side of his face absent-mindedly. "I guess that makes sense. I'd be more likely to be confused if I'd looked at the map and saw that she was down by the lake by herself."

"That's very true," agrees Haru. "Also, now I think about it, if we're running with the theory that the culprit is the one who put Yuki's ElectroID under the door, I'd say it's almost definitely the culprit who planted the bobby pin too. That would just be too coincidental otherwise."

I nod in agreement. I don't know the full story here but I know in my heart that this was someone else – not Hikaru! I run my hands through my hair as I try to picture the order of events in my head. Fortunately, Mitsu seems to have been thinking it through too.

"Alright, so we've determined and theorised so far that after the party last night, Yuki received a note asking her to come to the lake at 5am. Once she got there she was killed, though we're still to determine everything that happened down at the lake. After this, the culprit would have attempted to 'tidy' things up slightly, with forcing the ElectroID and the bobby pin under Yuki's door being one of the last things they would have done before retreating to their room."

"When you put it like that, it's pretty creepy," shudders Yamato. "It screws with my head enough as it is knowing that someone in this room is a killer, but to think someone did that and then went to bed in one of the rooms near me is a whole other level of weird."

Not sure he's got that the right way round there, to be honest, but I'm not gonna question it. Instead, I turn my thoughts back to what Mitsu was saying...

"So we should focus on what happened after Yuki arrived at the lake," I say. "We've kind of briefly touched on it so far but we've been focusing on some of the peripheral evidence."

Mitsu nods her agreement. "There are several things we still haven't discussed yet, and I think they could provide a lot of insight to this case once we piece them together. For starters, I think I'd like to focus on Yuki."

"That sounds sensible," agrees Haru. "There's other evidence at the lake we can consider too, but for now I think it would be good to take a look over the evidence pertaining to Yuki and the condition we found her in first."

"Well, we already mentioned the head wound," Blessing says, deep in thought. "I am... not sure what else there is to mention, if I'm honest."

"There was definitely more to consider than that," Masashi says. "If I recall, Yuki's clothing was all wet, and partly torn."

"Hey, that can't be right!" Yamato cries, slapping his fist against his palm. "How could her clothes be all wet if she'd just been drowned? You must have just mistaken the cold for wetness."

"It was not the cold," Masashi says through gritted teeth. "Even taking a moment to look at how her clothing looks shows us that it's wet."

Yuki's body appears in the space between us all as the hologram shifts and changes, like a spectre. Her digital ghost rotates slowly, and despite myself I feel goose bumps appearing up my arms as I see the hologram form of the wound in the back of her head. Trying to ignore that, I focus on her clothes.

"I... guess you were right, Masashi," Yamato admits, looking a little spooked. "My bad."

"Then, of course, our next question is how could Yuki's clothes be wet when only her head had been submerged in water?" Kimi asks.

"Could it be from melted snow?" suggests Miniro.

Mitsu shakes her head. "Not for that amount of dampness in her clothing, I would say," she replies. "It was also very cold, and I don't think her body temperature would have remained warm enough for that to happen out in the snow for that long after she was killed."

"So how were her clothes wet if they were only ever on dry land?" Blessing asks.

"Because they weren't!" I realise, clapping my hands together. "The only way Yuki's clothes could have ended up that damp to the extent that we could still notice it twelve hours after it had happened is if at some point Yuki's whole body had been in the water!"

"Was wondering when someone would get it," I hear Masashi mutter.

"You do realise that we're _all_ meant to work on this together and not hold out, right?" Hikaru tells him.

"I believe Mitsu has pointed out before that if one person does all the talking it could potentially end up being seen as leading the case in a certain way," Masashi counters. He turns to face Mitsu with a smug smile. "Unless of course you've changed your stance on that?"

Mitsu seems completely unfazed. "Not at all," she tells him. "I agree that to remain unbiased it should be a group effort. But I also think that means that others should be encouraged to find the answers as opposed to just completely withholding any answers until someone else happens to mention it." She turns away from him and looks at me, coolly. "So you think she had completely ended up in the water at some point, yes?"

I nod, slowly. "It's the only possibility that makes sense to me. I can't see someone going to the effort of splashing water over her just for the hell of it."

"Obviously not," Mitsu agrees. "So then, we now have three points in our timeline of how things happened at the lake. One: Yuki arrives at the lake. Two: at some point she finds herself in the water. Three: she's dead by the water's edge. But what happens in between?"

"And perhaps now is when we take a step back and consider the other evidence from the lake, separate from Yuki," Haru suggests. "For starters, I believe Kei and Hikaru found some marks in the snow?"

"That's right," Hikaru confirms, his fingers dancing over the screen of his ElectroID. The hologram changes from the floating form of Yuki to a view of the drag marks and the footprints that we'd found. "We were pretty careful not to disturb anything."

"Th-they seem to go along th-the lakeside," Daisuke notes.

"Like they're leading towards my Lab," Miniro agrees. "Hey, when you guys searched the place earlier, did you find anything important?"

"There was one thing," Hikaru says, "but I think I'd like to wait a moment before it becomes relevant."

"Of course," Miniro says, nodding his understanding.

"So, wait, why do we think they are leading towards the Lab?" Kimi asks. "Could it not be that it was something being dragged out of there instead?"

"No," I reply, shaking my head. I zoom in a little on the footprints. "Theyre only partial prints of someone's shoes, but you can see from the angle that they're going towards the Lab instead of away from it."

"Ah, of course, I see what you mean now," Kimi nods. "But what would be getting dragged up there? There was no sign of anything that could have left marks like those at the lakeside if I recall correctly."

"There was one thing," Yamato says, looking a little pained. He glances briefly at Ino as if he's afraid of saying anything in front of her. She doesn't even bother looking up at him – it's as if she's just lost the will to be confrontational, which is... great on one hand, but on the other it's a little eerie seeing her like this.

"G-go on, Mr N-Nagai," Daisuke urges.

"Well, uh... Yuki, y'know?" Yamato replies. "Would make sense, right?"

"You think Yuki got dragged along the shore?" Blessing gasps.

"I suspected the same," Haru admits. "Like Kimi said, there was no sign of anything else that could have been dragged along like that."

"But why would someone do that if they'd already killed her?" I ask.

"Well, to pick up on what I said to Miniro a couple minutes ago," Hikaru says, "I had a theory after looking things over." He pauses and looks round at us, like he's waiting for permission to continue, having a deer in the headlights moment. But then he seems to settle again and he fumbles for his ElectroID. A second later, the hologram changes again to display a view of the gap in the inside of Miniro's Talent Lab.

"Y'see," Hikaru says, "there's a gap here that links the outside lake to a body of water inside Miniro's Lab." He changes the hologram to show everyone the gap from the other side. "And at first I thought maybe someone could have used that gap to try and send evidence into Miniro's Lab, either to frame him, or just dispose of it. And I think the culprit _did_ have that idea."

"So there was evidence in Miniro's Lab?" asks Ino, eyeing the sailor with suspicion now. Hikaru shakes his head.

"Oh, no, there couldn't have been!" he says. "In fact, by the looks of it, I'd say it was completely impossible for anything to travel between the two sides of the gap. Kei noticed it too, I think."

All eyes are on me now, and I look up at the two images of either side of the gap. I think back to when we'd first looked at either side, and that strange niggling feeling in my head that something had been off about it... And then I realise.

"The flow of the water!" I cry. "The water on the lakeside was flowing out of the gap as if the water was flowing back into the lake, but inside Miniro's Lab the water was flowing in the opposite direction as if the water was flowing into the body of water in there!"

"Is that even possible?" Yamato asks.

"It would appear so," Masashi says, inspecting the hologram with a raised eyebrow. "It's hardly the Pacific-Atlantic Divide but it's not unheard of. Though I suspect Monokuma has a hand in this somewhere."

The bear had been quiet for a while now and I'd almost completely forgot he was there. In fact, by the looks of things he'd fell into a deep sleep, but at the mention of his name he jerked upright and pointed an accusing paw at Masashi.

"You found the killer yet?" he cries.

"Obviously not," Masashi snorts. Monokuma sighs and points his paw at me.

"You found 'em yet?"

"No."

He shakes his head irritably and points the same paw at Mitsu now.

"How about you, Lois Lane?"

"Of course we haven't," she says. "And if you can't stay awake long enough to pay attention I'm sure we'd all be happy with adjourning."

"No can do, kiddo," Monokuma replies. "Just cos I go for forty winks doesn't mean the rest of the world does."

Mitsu hums under her breath and turns away from the bear again. An almost awkward silence fills the air.

Of course, Monokuma is the one to break it.

"So, uh... did one of you need something?"

"The waterflows in the lake and Miniro's Lab," Hikaru says. "We were wondering... well... why they go in opposing directions."

Monokuma cackles. "Oh, are you kidding me? Jeez, it's a pretty simple piece of architecture, y'know. Also it takes pressure off of the ice spring deep, deep beneath the ground."

"Shouldn't that be a hot spring?" Yamato asks.

"If you like freezer burn, yeah," Monokuma retorts. "Anyway, I'm not here to give y'all an architecture lesson – save that for afterwards if anyone's still alive!"

"So, uh, anyway..." Hikaru says, eyeing Monokuma warily for a moment before turning back to the rest of us, "like I was saying, the way the water flows in two opposing directions would make it impossible for anything to travel through the gap. Especially what I think the culprit was trying to put through."

"Which was what?" Miniro asks.

"Yuki's body," Hikaru says, grimly.

"Oh, jeez..." Yamato groans. "So someone was trying to frame Miniro, huh?"

"I think it was a matter of just framing anyone," Haru says. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and gazes up at the hologram. "Possibly to muddy the waters, so to speak, they could attempt to set things up so that the body would have eventually been found in Miniro's Lab, but also Hikaru's bobby pin would have been found in Yuki's room. It's random, and based on opportunity and chance. Of course, that would also explain why Yuki's clothes ended up so wet."

"So the culprit tried to get Yuki's body into Miniro's Lab but the water flow prevented that," Hikaru says, "and then Yuki's body wound up just drifting into the lake?"

"That would seem to be the case," Blessing says, sadly. "A terrible way to end things."

"Except that wasn't how it ended," I point out. "We're still missing something!"

"How d-do you me-mean?" Daisuke asks.

"Think about where Yuki's body was when it was found," I say. "If the water had just washed her into the lake, how did she somehow wash up onto the shore with only her head submerged?"

"It would be impossible," Mitsu agrees. "There's also still a discrepancy in our timeline so far."

"How do you mean?" Yamato asks, scrunching his face up in confusion.

"There's the small matter of the cause of death in the Monokuma File," she explains. "We've seen that Yuki's cause of death was drowning."

"Hm, yeah, that screws things up a little," he admits with a sigh. "I mean, we couldn't even prove that it was Yuki's body that was dragged over to the water anyway."

"No, that's wrong," I shake my head. "There was a torn piece of fabric snagged on the rocks leading over to the lakeside."

"Huh, there was?"

I nod. "And it was dry, unlike the rest of Yuki's clothes. I'd guess her clothes had been torn slightly when she was being dragged past the rocks over to the gap."

"That seems the most logical conclusion to make," Masashi agrees. "Of course, you all realise what this means?"

When this doesn't spur on an immediate reaction he rolls his eyes and flares out the collars of his coat melodramatically.

"What this means..." he says, slowly, "is that Yuki wasn't dead when she was being dragged towards the water."

"Oh, god!" Hikaru gasps. "You mean she was probably just unconscious at first."

"It would appear so," Masashi says. "Adding up the evidence that we have looked at so far, and the contradictions that don't quite make sense, it really does seem to be the only thing that can appease those two situations – the head wound and the cause of death." He held up a finger as he counted the two, as if for emphasis.

"So i-if she was unc-conscious when she went into th-the water, th-that would b-be how she drowned?" Daisuke asks.

"Obviously not," Masashi replies. "As Kei pointed out, the position her body was found in would have been impossible to wash up in just by chance."

"So what happened then?" Miniro asks, his frown deepening. "I'm sorry, everyone, but this is quite a lot to take in."

"It's fine, Miniro," Haru says, "I think we all feel a little like that. What I think Masashi is getting at is that Yuki's attacker – the culprit in this case – is the person responsible for the condition Yuki's body was in when it was first found."

"So the culprit drowned her?" Kimi asks. "I must admit, I too am finding this all very hard to piece together. Yuki was dead, but then she was not, but then she was again?"

"She wasn't and then she was," Hikaru replies. "If I remember correctly, Yuki's hair was all messed up at the back, as if a chunk of it had been pulled at in a struggle. I suppose that would be what happened when the culprit... forced Yuki's head under the water."

"Jesus..." Yamato murmurs.

"But why would the culprit _need_ to do that?" Blessing asks. "What could have possibly happened for things to end up like that?"

"Well, Yuki got thrown into the water while unconscious," Haru says. "I'd say it's very likely that she regained consciousness once she was in the lake... And what would you do if you found yourself floating in an ice cold body of water?"

I realise straight away what he's getting at... "I'd swim for the shore," I say, quietly. Haru looks at me, intensely, and nods.

"Exactly!" he says. "And I think that's exactly what Yuki did. She'd be disorientated from the head wound and the cold water, but I imagine the adrenaline would have got her to the shore before the shock kicked in. I bet in the moment she probably didn't even consider that the person who had attacked her would still be there..."

"I think that fills in a lot of the gaps in our little timeline of this case," Mitsu says. For a second, she looks very troubled as she considers things, but she sniffs and straightens her back a little, regaining her composure. "We have our middle and our end, now we're just missing the beginning."

"What happened when Yuki got to the lake, you mean?" Hikaru asks.

"Yes," she nods. "To put it in even simpler terms, we need to look at Yuki's injury again."

"The head wound," Miniro clarifies. "But is there really anything that can help us there?"

"There is something," Haru says. "When I inspected the head wound I noticed these little flakes were in it, as well as stuck to her hair, but only in that particular spot."

He takes a moment to tap at his ElectroID screen, and the hologram flickers and then reforms to show a close-up view of the bloody mark on Yuki's head. Despite the situation, I found myself marvelling at just how detailed the hologram displays could be, as the flakes that Haru had mentioned – and I had seen myself earlier – were clear to see.

Kimi confused. "But what does that tell us?"

"I-I think Mr T-Takezaki m-might be referring to the p-possibility that th-the flakes were left b-b-behind by the m-murder weapon," Daisuke replies.

"Couldn't it just be like... ice particles?" Yamato suggests, trying not to look to closely at the hologram. Understandable, to be honest – it is a pretty gruesome sight to see again...

"I don't think so," I say, shaking my head. "While there did seem to be frost in Yuki's hair, you can see the flakes are kind of darker, and more rough-looking at the edges to really be the same."

Mitsu gazes up at the hologram and squints a little. "Also the fact that there's only a few of them in the wound, and none anywhere else, would suggest that it was caused by something else and not just the temperature."

"But then what could the murder weapon be?" Miniro asks. "What would leave something like that behind?"

Masashi suddenly clears his throat to get everyone's attention. "Well, to save you all the trouble of having to think too hard, I think I'll step in now." With a particuarly showy flourish, he hits something on his ElectroID and the hologram shifts and changes again, reforming to show...

"The baseball bat from the Gym!" I cry out.

"Yes, thank you," Masashi says, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I remember that!" Yamato nods. "We looked at it earlier! Oh, hey! I just realised, I was right all along!"

"Right about _what_?" Ino sighs, giving him a dirty look.

"The thing that Kei said I said like _aaaaaaaages_ ago! It had to link to the Gym! The culprit wouldn't have went there _just_ to tear up a bit of poster to write a note on – there had to be something else they did there too! We've come full circle!" Yamato enthuses, punching the air. He strikes what I guess is meant to be a heroic pose, hands on hips. "Gee, feels good being one of the clever kids!"

"Ahem, yes, well..." Masashi appears to have had the wind taken out of his sails a little, "if we could get back to the matter at hand..."

"Of course," Haru says. "So you suspect this bat could be the murder weapon?"

"I do," Masashi confirms. "As I believe Kei did."

"That's right," I agree. "It stood out when we were searching the Equipment Room."

"I don't think that can be right," Ino says, frowning. "There's no blood on it."

"Exactly," I say.

"Exactly?" she echoes, eyebrow raised.

"There was a sign in the Equipment Room too," I explain. "Uh, lemme see..." I lean down to try and find what I'm looking for on the screen.

Masashi sighs. "Don't bother. I've got it here." With another melodramatic roll of the eyes, he swipes his finger across the screen and the hologram begins to form letters, several at a time, glowing gold in the air between us all.

"'A note to all staff and students'," Blessing reads. "'All gym equipment, besides materials specifically for use in the swimming pool, are to be kept indoors and away from any liquids due to a prone to extreme rusting. Drinks should be stored in bottles with sport caps to prevent accidental spillage at all times.'"

"So the bat rusted because it got wet?" Kimi asks.

"Because the culprit would have tried to clean Yuki's blood off of it," Mitsu says.

"Like you said earlier, Mitsu, about the culprit trying to be sneaky," Miniro points out. "They probably thought by washing the blood off they could put the bat back and everyone would be none the wiser."

"Oh, of course!" Hikaru gasps, suddenly, taking us all by surprise. "The flakes in Yuki's wound are what's come off of the bat when it's began to peel from getting wet. Little flecks of whatever kind of paint it is that's covered the bat!"

"But it wouldn't have been wet before it hit her head, surely?" Kimi says with a slight frown.

"I think there would be a few potential opportunities for it to get wet before it was used to hit Yuki," Haru says. "For one, if the equipment in the Gym is as prone to extreme rusting as the Equipment Room notice says, it's very possible that even the amount of moisture in the air by the Lake could have had some effect on the bat."

"That would make sense," Mitsu agrees. "I imagine the moisture in the air wouldn't have been enough to actually cause the bat to start rusting instantly, but I think it could be very possible that it would have been enough that when the bat made contact with Yuki's head, it transferred a few flakes of paint onto her."

"But if just a few flakes of paint came off it then why is it looking so chewed up and rusty?" Yamato asks.

"Weren't you listening?" sighs Kimi. "After the bat was used, the culprit presumably tried to wash the blood off it so they could return it to... where did you say it was again?"

"Weren't _you_ listening?" Yamato retorts with a smug grin. "The Equipment Room in the Gym."

"Well, I haven't been in there since the first day it became available to us, I apologise," Kimi says, haughtily.

"Um... a-apologies if I've m-missed something b-but wouldn't it a-appear that we've r-r-ran out of evidence?" Daisuke stammers. "L-looking over the i-information on my Ele-ElectroID, it c-certainly seems that we've covered e-everything we'd f-found."

"Shit..." Yamato breathes.

And Daisuke's right, I realise with horror. We've looked at every piece of evidence in this case that we'd found during our investigations, but nothing _actually_ points us in the direction of a culprit.

"Could it really be..." I murmur, my words catching in my throat. No one replies. I look round at the others, but no one seems to be focusing now. We're all in our own heads now, it would seem... I feel myself slump forward a little, gazing down at my shoes now. "Could it really be... we've lost?"

"No."

The answer catches me offguard a little, and I look up again with a start to see...

"Hikaru?"

He's already facing me when I look up, his eyes wide and tearful. But there's something else in them too... something bright and powerful... Like a determination to succeed... Like hope...

His fists are clenched, and he's trembling a little, but there's no ignoring the steel in his voice.

"I said no. We can't give up now!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Masashi roars, slamming his fist down on the podium. "What do you accomplish with this except give us false hope? Are you going to conjure new evidence out of thin air? Or is someone going to magically come rescue us? Well?!"

"No," Hikaru says, rubbing a tear out of his eye with the back of his hand. "I can't conjure new evidence out of thin air."

"Then sh-"

"But if we all work together, we might be able to," Hikaru says, speaking over Masashi. "We've looked over the evidence so far, and we have a timeline. But this can't be where we give up! This can't be where we decide we've reached the end of this horrible, evil game! This is the moment when we should be looking back at everything. Not just what we discussed here, or what we found during our investigations. Think back over the past few days. It could be anything, it could be nothing! But just accepting that this is where it ends... I can't do that!"

During the course of his speech, he's began to properly cry, tears racing down his cheeks – eerie and golden in the light from the hologram display.

"Hikaru..." I murmur. He's crying, but... he seems so defiant and determined and... it makes me feel ashamed. Ashamed that I could feel myself giving up...

"He's right."

I look round to see that it's Ino who's spoken. She reaches out and gently presses the screen of her ElectroID, and the hologram dissipates, then looks over to the empty podium where Yuki's portrait is propped up. Even with the light from the hologram gone, I can still see the marks on Ino's face where tears are running down.

"He's right," she says again. "Who the hell are we to give up when we haven't found out who did this to Yuki?! How could we ever face her again knowing that we let her killer go free?"

"Y-you're right, Ms W-Watabe," Daisuke says. He wipes at his eyes with his sleeve, and his face is resolute. "Ms T-Tadeshi... Yuki... was our friend... and we... o-owe it to her."

"Well, I agree with these guys," Miniro adds, offering Daisuke a thumbs up and a reassuring smile. "It just wouldn't be honourable to give up now."

"I... I agree," Blessing says. "Yuki was our friend, and to go to the next life with the regrets of failing her... I won't do it!" She clenches her fists at her sides. "I refuse to give up!"

"As do I!" Kimi agrees, throwing her hair over her shoulder in a dramatic motion. "It is our responsibility... our duty to get to the bottom of this!"

"Well, I wouldn't wanna be the only one not helping out," Yamato says with a shrug. "Gotta try at least, right?"

"Who said anything about giving up?" Masashi sneers. "Not me."

"That's more like it, Masashi," Haru says. He takes his hands out of his pockets and claps them together. "I guess we're all back onside?"

I realise that Mitsu and I are the only ones who haven't said anything yet. The others all seem to have found a second wind...

Mitsu raises her head and looks round at the others, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, had you all given up?" she says, innocently. "Sorry, I was deep in thought."

Despite the situation, I find myself laughing a little. It's like that's been enough to really kick me out of my moment of defeat. I turn to Monokuma.

"You get that? We haven't given up yet!" I tell him. Monokuma looks back at me for a moment, head cocked slightly to the side like a curious child.

"All the better," he says with relish. "Makes it all the more interesting when you begin to lose hope all over again. In fact... how about we make this more interesting?"

"I don't like the sound of that..." Yamato says.

"Look, you kids know I love a good tension-building countdown, right?" Monokuma says, standing up to his full height and producing a remote from... I'm not sure where. He aims it down at the centre of the room and jabs at a button. A moment later the hologram display flickers into life, though this time something's different... At first I think the hologram is just a sphere, but as I look closer I realise there's digits in it too, already racing downwards as the milliseconds turn to seconds...

"What the hell?!" cries Hikaru.

"What the fuck is that?" yelps Yamato.

"It's a tension-building countdown, obviously!" Monokuma cackles. I'm suddenly aware that the screens around the room have changed to display the same countdown. "In one minute and forty-nine seconds, a bomb goes off on someone's podium. The same thing will happen once every sixty seconds after, until you figure out who the culprit is! How d'you like that?!"

"Wait, what?!" I cry, eyes wide with terror. "You can't do that!"

"Um, I think you'll find I can, y'know," Monokuma says. "Perks of being the Headmaster, y'know? I get bored, I get to spice things up a little. I mean, let's face it, you're all probably gonna die anyway – if anything, I'm just speeding up the process!"

"I-"

"Kei, shut up and focus!" Haru snaps. Sweat's already beading on his forehead now as panic sets in. "Arguing with Monokuma won't achieve anything now. We need to _think_. Just like Hikaru said!"

Just like Hikaru said, I think to myself. Think back on _everything_.

This case... this whole case... Drowned. Struggle. Water. Dragged. Unconscious. Struck. Arrived. Note...

Note... the Gym... the bat... both from the Gym...

Why the Gym? Why the Gym?

Who had all been to the Gym over the past few days that I knew of?

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I'm trying to tune it out, but it's distracting... The thought that any moment now I could just d-

The explosion takes me off my feet.

For a second, the entire world stops...

And then my feet are back on the podium and I'm clutching onto the sides in white-knuckled terror. The stand to the side of me – the one formerly used by Fumio – had been the one to explode. There are screams and cries of shock and fear all around.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," Monokuma says, gleefully.

"Shut up!" snaps Mitsu. Even she's lost her cool now – I can just see her trembling slightly as the smoke from Fumio's now totally destroyed podium fades away again.

Less than sixty seconds. We might not get so lucky a second time.

The Gym...

Fifty seconds...

Who had been to the Gym recently? Think back...

Forty seconds...

Me, obviously...

Thirty seconds...

"You look pleased about something," a voice says, and I yelp in surprise...

What else what else what else?

...turning to see Miniro and Daisuke who are sitting at a plastic table next to several bulky vending machines.

Twenty seconds...

"Oh, hey, Kei!" Yuki says, brightly...

Ten seconds...

Shit.

But she said...

Five seconds...

Four...

I have to be right.

Three...

She definitely said...

Two...

This is my only chance...

One...

" _Stop!_ " I bellow, throwing my arms out wide. "I know who the culprit is!"

Monokuma fumbles with the remote and jabs it, just as the countdown on the screens are on the brink of hitting zero. I find myself tensing instinctively, preparing for the worst... but it doesn't come.

"Well, go on, then, coffee boy," Monokuma snaps, paws on hips. "If this is just to try and buy you some more time, I'm gonna be _pissed_! It was gonna be really funny when the next bomb went off."

"I know who the culprit is," I say again, "but I'd like to go over the case from the beginning."

"Kei, are you sure?" Hikaru asks.

"Trust me," I say to him. He nods back at me.

Monokuma sighs. "Well, go on then. If anything it'll just make it more worthwhile when I get to switch the detonators back on again."

"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath. "Here's everything that happened in this case!

"It all started the day of the party. The culprit made their way to the Gym, perhaps only with the initial goal of finding a murder weapon, and in the Equipment Room they found the baseball bat. At some point they also tore off a shred of poster paper, and smuggled both that and the baseball bat, and presumably stashed it in their room in the Dormitories.

"Now, we skip ahead to _after_ the party, when the culprit was certain that Yuki would be in her room. It would have been easy enough to slide the note under the door, or perhaps even knock the door and leave the note for Yuki to notice. Either way, Yuki read the note, requesting that she came down to the Lake at 5am. It's possible she thought it was from Ino, who she had been with shortly before returning to her room.

"Yuki did as the note requested, and made her way down to the Lake for the requested time. But I think it's probably safe to say that she didn't meet the person she was expecting to meet at all. Yuki would have been struck with the baseball bat at this point, though it's at this stage where things start to go wrong for the culprit. Firstly, they had missed the notice in the Equipment Room that explained the gear in there was prone to rusting extremely fast, so the bat was at risk of peeling. The blow that struck Yuki's head was enough to leave fragments in the wound.

"The second mistake they didn't realise was even more important... Yuki was still alive. Unconscious, but alive. At this point, the culprit attempted to move Yuki's unconscious body over towards the gap that water flowed to and from between the lake and Miniro's Talent Lab, seemingly in some attempt to mix things up by having Yuki's body found in there. In the process of moving Yuki, the culprit left the drag marks and partial footprints that Hikaru and I had found, and also a shred of Yuki's torn clothing that had snagged on the rockface.

"The culprit didn't realise that the water flow made it impossible for anything to wash through the gap into Miniro's Lab though, so when they let Yuki's body go it went the opposite direction, out into the Lake. And at this point, Yuki must have woken up in the water and panicked. And what would anyone else do if they were in that situation? Try and swim to shore.

"But the culprit was still there. Yuki would have been too weak to put up much of a fight though, so it wouldn't have taken much for the culprit to overpower her and force her head beneath the water... and drown her, leading to the final cause of death as mentioned in the Monokuma File.

"Afterwards, it was just a matter of tidying things up a little. The culprit probably attempted to wash the blood off of the baseball bat in the Lake, still not aware of the rust problem with the Gym equipment. Probably assuming no-one would notice anyway, they returned the bat to the rack in the Equipment Room, before returning to the Dormitories.

"There were only two little details left for the scene to be set. The first was Hikaru's bobby pin. Initially, it had been given to Ino, but she had removed it and left it in the Salon earlier that day. The other thing was Yuki's ElectroID. To delay us discovering anything too quickly, the culprit attempted to force the ElectroID under the door of Yuki's room, along with Hikaru's bobby pin. If the ElectroID was in Yuki's room, then any of us looking for her on our Map page would assume that she was in her room too, as Daisuke and Yamato were when we were looking for them too. The bobby pin was just an extra bit of window dressing. They'd struggled to muddy the waters by framing Miniro, so this gave them a second chance at framing someone else, though the culprit was seemingly unaware that Hikaru and I were in the same room at the time.

"The last detail came after we had found Yuki's body, when Monokuma unlocked Yuki's door to allow us to investigate her room. The force of the door was enough to damage the ElectroID, accounting for the condition we found it in not long after.

"All in all, the culprit's plan relied on a lot of chance and planning… and when it came down to it, really, their plan went off with barely a hitch. At least, nothing that threatened to expose their identity. Until they entered this Trial Ground... when their own lie exposed the truth.

"And that's why... the killer has to be _you!_ "

* * *

 **TRIAL INTERMISSION**

 **11 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	26. Chapter 03: The Third Class Trial (III)

"The killer has to be you: Kimi Valentin!"

For a moment, no one speaks... but then...

"I... excuse me?! Have you lost your mind, Kei?" Kimi splutters. "Why would you accuse me of all people?"

"Because you lied," I reply, simply. And so did I...

"I have no idea what you are referring to," she says, folding her arms. "Is this just some kind of distraction?"

"Gotta admit, Kei, I'm not really sure where you're going with this one," Yamato says.

"Are you sure, Kei?" asks Mitsu.

"Yes," I breathe. "It had to be her."

"This is preposterous!" Kimi cries, tossing her hair back. She points a taloned finger at me. "Why would you make such accusations?"

I have to be careful now. If I show my hand too soon it could all fall apart. I glance over to Monokuma, who seems genuinely interested now. At the very least, he's put the remote down – though it's still within his reach. Need to think quickly... I can't just say it outright or it could go down in flames – I need her to say it... To confirm my suspicions...

"Come now, you can't simply accuse me of being the culprit and then not say a word!" Kimi says. "He's clearly just trying to buy time! He has no proof at all!" She's in her stride now. "I understand this is a high pressure situation, Kei, but pinning the blame on me will not help you, or anyone for that matter."

"Okay," I say, finally, "I'll tell you how I know you're the culprit."

"I'm intrigued to see what lengths you'll go to in order to incriminate me," she replies.

It's like the others are gone now, and it's just Kimi and I, facing off against one another. I'm still breathing a little heavily as the adrenaline rushes through me, and I'm all too aware of the sweat misting my face. But that doesn't matter now...

"How far will you go, Kei?" she asks, her eyes narrowing. "I thought we were friends. How ruthless will you become in your pursuit of what you assume to be the truth?"

"I thought we were friends too," I sigh. "But you killed Yuki. And I know you did because you went to the sauna."

For a moment, Kimi is taken aback. But then she just starts to laugh. "Well, yes, of course, I went to the sauna several times! It's a very important part of my routine. That has nothing to do with anything, though."

Gotcha...

I had remembered back to the other day:

So not long before lunchtime, I decide to take the manga I've completed back to the Library. I'm just on my way back downstairs when I find myself bumping into Kimi and Yuki. They both appear to be in workout clothes, and Yuki's hair is tied up instead of in its usual 'lion's mane' look. Even now, Kimi is completely glamorous – not a hair out of place, full face of make-up. Jeez, does she even have sweat glands?

"Oh, hey, Kei!" Yuki says, brightly. "Kimi and I are just back from the sauna! Have you tried it out yet? It's craaaazy good!"

"I am sorry you have to see me not looking my best," Kimi says, grimly. "I… do not usually allow myself to be seen looking so… unpresentable."

And that's how I knew... that's how I knew that it had to be her.

"Huh?" Haru seems to have noticed it. "But I thought you'd never been to the Gym?"

Kimi's face scrunches up in confusion now.

"I... pardon me?"

"That's right. You said you'd never been to the Gym since the day it first opened," Mitsu says. "That's a pretty glaring contradiction considering the sauna is there."

"I... what I meant to say was..."

"I don't understand!" cries Blessing, tears forming in her eyes. "Kimi wouldn't do anything like that! What does her going to the Gym have to do with anything?"

"Because she lied and said she hadn't been to the Gym, exactly when we were discussing the bat and the Equipment Room," Hikaru explains, gently. "I'm sorry, Blessing, but... I think Kei is right."

"Oh, you do, do you?!" Kimi snaps at him. "And wouldn't that be convenient, seeing as he's your alibi with regards to the bobby pin."

"The bobby pin that Ino had left in the Salon," I counter. "Where you spent most of the afternoon before the party. I bet that was when you picked it up, huh?"

"I... I... I..."

She's shaking now, whether with fear or anger it's difficult to tell. Her eyes dart from side to side, though not at anyone in particular. She's scrambling for an answer.

"It's circumstantial," she snarls, finally, then seems to regain her composure. She smoothes down her blouse and sniffs. "Perhaps I misspoke under such pressure."

"Not much of a defence," Mitsu says.

"Yes, I'd say your behaviour there rather gave the game away," Masashi says, smirking victoriously at her. "While the evidence itself didn't entirely condemn you, your reactions are all the more revealing."

Kimi's composure drops instantly, and she begins to wail, turning to Blessing. "Please, Blessing, you believe me, don't you? You won't let them kill me, will you?" She buries her head in her hands, hiding her face.

Blessing is taken aback, and holds up her hands, trembling slightly.

"I... I don't know what to think," she cries. She looks back at Kimi with wet eyes, and then her face hardens. With a trembling voice she says, "Kimi, I... I'm sorry, but... I know you're... faking this..."

Blessing's words seem to hit Kimi like lightning, and her hands drop away from her face to reveal her stunned expression. She hasn't shed a single tear. There isn't a single blemish in her make-up... Blessing had been right.

"How... did you..."

"I am the Ultimate Actress," Blessing says, sadly. "I know crocodile tears when I see them."

Kimi straightens up to her full height, closes her eyes, and lets out a long, deep breath. No one says a word – we all just watch her, unsure of what to do next.

She opens her eyes again and smiles.

"Very well," she says. "It would appear I've exhausted my available options."

"W-wait, you admit it?" Yamato gasps.

Kimi shrugs her shoulders. "I suppose so, yes. I have nothing more to gain from keeping up the charade at this venture."

"You... you killed Yuki?!" Ino screams. "It was you?!"

"Now, now, dear," Kimi says, holding up a long, sharp finger to her lips in a shushing motion, "if these are the last moments of our acquaintance, let's not spend them with unnecessary noise."

"Are... are you for real?" Hikaru asks, stunned. "You're a murderer!"

"I am," Kimi agrees, calmly, "but shouting about it achieves very little."

"Well, Monokuma?" Haru says, turning to face the bear. "It would appear this trial is at an end." Monokuma cocks his head to the side for a second, and then perks up again.

"Sure thing!"

With a raise of his paw, the hologram display dissipates and cuts out with its characteristic burble as it powers down. The screens all around us do the same, only to flare into life again brighter than before, displaying the slot machine motifs, with the pixelated forms of our faces visible on each of the three slots.

Monokuma stands to his full, unimpressive height and punches the air with a paw. "Ultimate students, please us the menu screen appearing on your ElectroIDs to vote for who you think is guilty for this most cruuuuel and unusual crime! And do be reminded that abstaining from voting could lead to some equally cruuuuel and unusual punishments! Okay! Here... we... go!"

He jerks at a lever that's appeared at the side of his throne and the screens are suddenly a flurry of movement as the slots begin to spin. Just as before, seventeen 8-bit icons appear on the ElectroID screen in front of me, one for each of us. The pink cross markings are getting more numerous now... Arata, Cho, Kaori, Ayaka, Fumio, Yuki... all greyed out.

The horror of touching the screen is like nothing I can describe. Regardless of what the person has done, to have to make that choice... That moment... It's like a piece of my soul chips away each time. With a shaking hand, I make my selection, and then bow my head, closing my eyes. I know what to expect now.

I can hear it anyway... Onscreen, the slots trundle by at a rapid rate. A few moments pass, and there's the first clunk as the first slot locks into place. I don't need to look at it to know it's Kimi's icon it's landed on.

Seconds later, there's the second clunk.

Seconds later again, comes the third and final clunk.

I open my eyes.

On each of the screens, three Kimis look back at me.

Pre-recorded whoops and cheers fill the room, and bells ring, shrill and jolly, like it's announcing a jackpot. But like the saying goes, the house always wins. Monokuma's third victory. Never ours.

The slot machine graphics fade away, replaced with a camera view from above.

"Third time's the charm!" Monokuma cheers. "Congrats, amateur sleuths! I can confirm that the dastardly culprit who struck down poor little Yuki Tadeshi, the Ultimate Hairdresser was none other than Kimi Valentin, the Ultimate Beautician!" He points a paw at Kimi, who is still smiling, serenely. "In another twist, I can reveal the voting was unanimous, and unlike her predecessors, even the culprit chose to vote herself as the guilty party!"

"W-wait, what?!" splutters Ino.

"You voted for yourself too?" Mitsu frowns. Kimi nods, slowly.

"I told you all... there is no need for me to continue this charade. I took my chance, and I failed. If there's one thing I have learned, it's when to end things."

"But... why? Why do any of this?" Hikaru cries. "Why kill Yuki?"

Kimi sighs. "It's a rather boring reason, if I am to be honest with you all. Is it not better to end things on a beautiful mystery?"

"No," Haru says, sharply. "The least you can do is explain yourself."

Kimi looks round at all of us, gauging our expressions. There's a lot of hurt, and sorrow, and anger, and confusion all around us now, visible more on some than it is on others. She catches my eye for a moment, and I have to force myself to meet her gaze. Her face splits into a wide grin.

"I asked you earlier how far will you go, Kei," she beams. "And how ruthless you would become in pursuit of the truth. If there is one thing I am an expert at, it is not to do with such things as beauty routines and make-up, it is the human face. And looking at yours now... I think I know how far you will go. I am only sad I won't be here to see it."

"Wh-what?" In the heat of the moment the first time she'd mentioned it, I hadn't paid much attention to what she'd said, but this time... this time it was impossible to ignore. How far I'll go? What does she mean?

"As for the rest of you, well..."

"You seem to be avoiding giving us proper answers," Masashi notes. "Please don't feel the need to delay any further."

Kimi's smile turns almost melancholy now.

"I made some mistakes," she said. "In my life before we came here, of course. Some business decisions that went awry. Wrongful investments and such. For a brief while before I received my invitiation to Hope's Peak I was on the verge of losing millions."

"So you thought leaving here would be of some use to you financially?" Masashi asks, eyebrow raised. "I doubt that somehow."

"Unless she made use of the motive," Hikaru points out, glaring at Kimi now. "That was your intention, wasn't it?"

Kimi looks amused. "Ah, so you understand. You're a perceptive little mascot, Hikaru."

"The m-motive?" Daisuke stammers. "H-how could she use th-that to her advantage?"

Hikaru looks round at everyone. "As Ultimate students, most of the people here are all worth of a fair amount of money in the outside world, I'd imagine. Hope's Peak means money, after all. Now imagine how well a survivor story would be received. People love tragedy, and a story like this..."

"People would talk forever," Kimi says. She's staring into space a little now, like she can practically imagine an unseen audience. "A survivor of a terrifying ordeal in none other than an establishment as revered as Hope's Peak Academy. The stories that would be told... My story!" Almost as an afterthought she adds, "And, of course, whoever would be lucky enough to have survived with me."

"Hadn't reached a decision on that yet, then?" asks Haru, coldly.

"Oh, no, I made my decision before I even fetched the baseball bat from the Gym," Kimi says. "I was rather hoping to choose Blessing to escape with me."

Blessing looks horrified. "Y-you were going to choose me?!"

"I came to see you as a good friend in our brief time together," Kimi explains, matter-of-factly. "But of course, I was looking at it from a financial perspective too. The Ultimate Actress. Your reputation, even amongst Ultimates, puts you that extra step up the ladder as far as fame and impact goes. Who would make a more perfect companion?"

"Y-you're insane!" Blessing cries. "Kimi, how on Earth could you ever believe that I'd even go along with such a thing? To earn my freedom on the back of you killing all our friends?"

Kimi shrugs again. "I had taken that into consideration, but to be honest I still thought it worth the risk. I had briefly considered Masashi – he isn't quite as attached as the rest of you appear to be, so there'd be less resistance there – and I considered Daisuke – simply as his weakness would have made it easier for me to potentially control if the situation required so."

"Wh-what?!" Daisuke yelps, eyes widening in horror. Masashi doesn't say anything, but he looks properly rattled, his shaking hand clenched around his podium, knuckles white from the grip.

"How the hell can you talk like that?!" I find myself yelling. "You... you can't just think of people like... like objects!"

"I have spent the past few years of my life wearing... a mask of sorts," Kimi says. "Everything about me, from head to toe, is like a disguise. A protective barrier. The world of beauty is harsh and merciless, and only those who are willing to go the extra mile are the ones who succeed."

"And we thought Fumio was a fucking monster," Ino hisses, venomously. "You... you're something else."

"Perhaps I am," Kimi says, sadly. "I did a terrible thing, but I would be lying if I said I feel bad about it. If anything I'm just sad I wasn't able to get away with it. And I was so close too."

"But why Yuki?" asks Mitsu. "Was it just a matter of convenience?"

Kimi nods. "Oh, yes. She just seemed the easiest to kill. Typical, of course, that events transpired the way they did."

"You bitch!" screams Ino, practically leaning over the front of her podium to scream at Kimi. "You fucking bitch!"

"I have one more question," Haru says, slowly. He presses a finger against his lips, deep in thought for a moment, and then once he has Kimi's attention he asks, "Your disguise. You're still wearing it, aren't you?"

Kimi gives him a wide grin and tosses her hair back as she laughs.

"Oh, of course I am! I'm about to die. I can accept reality, but if I get to keep agency over one last thing in my life, it is how I confront death. And I will face it with the most beautiful smile." She looks over her shoulder at Monokuma. "I think we've reached the end of this particular question and answer session."

"Sounds good to me!" Monokuma cackles. "Well, now, I've prepared a very special punishment for Kimi Valentin, the Ultimate Beautician!" As is now routine, the big red button rises from the floor and comes to level with his throne. "Let's give it everything we've got – iiiiit's Punishment Time!"

The screens around us change to show the pixelated forms of Kimi and Monokuma, the latter dragging the former away on a chain.

"Goodbye, everyone," Kimi says, blowing a kiss. "It's been a pleasure!"

Before anyone can respond, Kimi's podium suddenly lurches backwards towards the wall. For a second it looks like it might collide, but then a concealed doorway swings open and Kimi and her podium disappear through it, swallowed by the darkness beyond.

There's the usual whining as the rest of the podiums deactivate and come back to ground level, but none of us are focusing on that now... We're all in that state of transfixed terror that only comes from the screens pulsing with colour, fading to an elegant pink background with gold cursive font that reads...

* * *

 **The Punishment of the Ultimate Beautician**

 **Beauty is in the Eye of the Bear-holder**

Kimi is seated in a chair much like one of the ones from the Salon up on the Fifth Floor, restrained by thin ropes. It's too dark to make out any of her surroundings at first, but a spotlight flares into life, showing another identical smiling Kimi in the exact same situation. Another spotlight flashes on, revealing another. And another. And another. This repeats about a dozen times, until a number of identical Kimis are visible, and now... the smile's looking a little forced.

From behind all of the Kimis, Monokumas begin to appear, wearing identical blonde, curly wigs, and all armed with identical big blue hammers. All at the same time, the Monokumas swing their hammers...

And there's the sound of shattering glass. One of the Kimis (and one of the Monokumas) is now gone, leaving nothing but a gaping hole of shattered mirror, barely visible despite the spotlight that's still aimed at it.

The other Kimis gaze ahead, and the Monokumas all swing again...

Another smash... Another mirror gone...

Perspiration runs down Kimi's face now, her bangs slicked to her forehead... Suddenly, the smile is gone... She couldn't ignore reality forever... She's struggling now, but to no avail. The Monokumas raise their hammers...

Smash! And another Kimi disappears...

And another...

And another...

And another, and another, and another...

The mirrors continue to be destroyed, one-by-one, and the amount of visible Kimis and Monokumas decrease at the same rate. Soon enough, there are only two left...

With another smash, the mirror directly in front of Kimi shatters, leaving what appears to be a gap leading away from the enclosed space in between the rest of the broken mirrors.

The last Monokuma swings his hammer... ready to bring it down on her head.

And Kimi's bonds snap loose!

Not wasting a single second, she throws herself out of the chair. Monokuma's hammer slams down on the space her head was occupying just a fraction of a second before... Unable to control her momentum, she crashes forwards. She reaches out to stop herself...

And all there is to grab is the edge of the shattered mirror in front of her.

With a sickening thud, her hands are pierced by the splintered glass. With a scream, she wrenches her hands free and throws herself through the space at the back of the mirror, blood streaming from the wounds in her palms. Monokuma seems enraged and begins to smash the hammer down on the floor again and again.

Kimi continues to try and clamber through the holes in the broken mirrors, as they seem to be the only path away from Monokuma, though with each strike of the hammer against the ground, the remains of the mirrors shudder and rain shards of glass down on her even more.

The end is in sight now as she approaches the last mirror... Surely there must be an exit beyond it? Monokuma intensifies his hammer strikes, and the whole chamber seems to be shaking with each impact...

The last mirror trembles and shudders... More cracks blossom out from the hole at the centre of it. Kimi goes to throw herself through the space into what must surely be safety... She's halfway through now!

And with a final strike of the hammer, the top half of the mirror breaks loose, and comes falling straight down onto Kimi's back...

She doesn't even get the time to scream before the mirror cuts through her body... Wide-eyed, she reaches out into the dark space beyond with a trembling hand slick with blood... But there's no exit on the other side...

A final spotlight flares into life and we all see what she sees...

One last mirror. Reflecting her own death right back at her.

Her hand falls... A single tear falls down her face, leaving a faint line in her make-up.

And then the trembling stops, and all is still...

The screen fades to black once again.

* * *

Maybe part of me thought I should be used to the post-execution terror that courses through every atom of me. I don't know if I truly believed that before, but in those first few moments after the execution, it's like every piece of my existence is threatening to unravel, and I clutch the sides of my podium, my entire body shaking uncontrollably and my head bowed. For what feels like a lifetime, I stay like that, barely able to process anything going on in my surroundings until...

Monokuma's laughter revertebrates around the now still and dim trial ground. Almost in pain from the effort, I raise my head, glaring up at the monster that rolled about his throne in hysterics.

"Well, I gotta give it to ya, kids, you sure know how to keep things exciting! Never a dull moment with you brats around! We're gonna be down to single digits in no time at this rate!"

"Stop it!" roars Hikaru, smashing his fist down on the podium in front of him. His head is bowed too, but even in the dim yellow glow of the trial ground lighting it's clear to see the tears streaming down his face. "Stop it..." he says again, barely a whisper.

Monokuma almost looks like he's considering it, tapping at his snout with a paw, thoughtfully. But then he throws his arms wide and cackles again. "You should be so lucky, kid! This is my time! You all getta do the talking and arguing and providing the rare bit of comic relief and then once the deed is done it's my time to shine!"

"Is it though?!" Hikaru says through his sobs. "Is it just your time?"

"Hikaru..." I hear Mitsu say, almost warningly. Confused, I look over to her to see she's suddenly looking panicked. She inclines her head at me as if to say 'do something'.

"Let us go back," I call to Monokuma, unsure of what else I can do. "You've done enough."

"Oh, have I?" Monokuma says with mock innocence. "But it'd seem that young Hikaru has something he wants to get off his chest."

"No, he doesn't," I find myself saying, already feeling the laser beam glare Mitsu will have no doubt directed at me.

"Kei?" Blessing asks.

"Is something going on here?" Ino snaps. "What are you getting at?"

"Tell us the truth, Monokuma," Hikaru demands. "There's a traitor, isn't there?"

Oh, fuck...

"Huh?!"

"Wait, what did he say?"

One-by-one, the others give their shocked reactions. But in that moment I suddenly forget all about them, as it's Monokuma's reaction that matters the most.

"How did you kn- What do you... I mean, I... You're... you..." He's shifting on his feet nervously, practically tugging one of his ears off. His usual wicked grin has fallen and for a moment it's like... he's afraid. He realises we're now all staring at him and attempts to regain his composure. "I... I mean, uh, there is no traitor, of course! Whatever gave you such a ridiculous idea in the first place?"

"There's no use lying now," Masashi says, rubbing his chin. "I'd say you've rather let that particular cat out of the bag."

"So there really is a traitor?!" Yamato asks. "How is that possible?"

"You rather showed yourself up there," Mitsu says to Monokuma. "There's no use pretending otherwise at this point in proceedings."

Monokuma regards her for a second, almost shaking with anger. I can see his claws sheathing and unsheathing several times. But finally, he seems to come to a decision and he settles down, holding a paw up to his mouth as he begins to chuckle.

"Upupupu, well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose..."

"So you admit it?" Hikaru yells, smashing his fist down on his podium again. "You admit there's a traitor?"

"Oh, yeah, I totally admit it, schmuck!" Monokuma chortles. "Because, guess what... it's just gonna give you little idiots one more incentive to kill one another! And with that, I officially conclude the Third Class Trial!"

"No, wait!" Mitsu protests.

"Remember that the elevator will return you to the Castle," Monokuma says, shouting over her.

Voices overlap as we all try to demand some answers.

"All-parts-of-the-Castle-and-its-grounds-will-have-been-reset-as-to-how-they-were!" he yells in a confusing garble. "Bye for now!"

And then he's gone...

For several long moments, there's silence...

"I think we all need to have a conversation," Haru says, coolly.

"I agree," Masashi nods. "I think Hikaru, Mitsu, and Kei owe us some answers."

"Everyone, I-" I begin to say.

"Not here," snaps Masashi. "I think we've all spent enough time in this place as it is."

* * *

The journey back to the Castle might be our most unpleasant so far. None of the others will meet my gaze. Even Hikaru and Mitsu seem to be trying to avoid sharing a look with me. Similarly, it seems nobody can really look at each other either, with the exception of Daisuke and Miniro, who don't let go of one another's hands even as we make our way back to the Common Room.

Silently, we all take our seats. Nobody speaks, and for a good few minutes there's nothing but the crackling of the fire in the grate and the rhythmic tapping of Masashi's fingers against the surface of the table beside the armchair he's sat in. I look over to Hikaru on his end of the couch but he's sat withi his face buried in his hands.

It's Mitsu that breaks the silence.

"Well, this is getting us nowhere."

"No!" explodes Ino, jumping up from her chair and pointing an accusing finger in Mitsu's face. "You do not get to be flippant about this right now." To her credit, Mitsu doesn't even flinch.

"Ino, please..." Blessing says calmly, standing up and putting a hand on Ino's shoulder. "We need to hear them out."

"This... bitch," Ino says, spitting the word, "and her two fucking co-conspirators, Tweedledum and Tweedle-fucking-dumbass, have been holding out on us, and you want me to fucking calm down?"

Despite the situation, I find myself wondering who was who out of me and Hikaru.

"Shouting and screaming won't get us any closer to the truth," Haru says. I look over to him but he turns away from me to stare into the fire instead, his profile lit up by the glow of the flames.

"Well, whenever one of you is ready," Masashi drawls, still tapping at the tabletop. "I'm sure we'd all love to hear what you have to say for yourselves."

"Don't you think it's more of a priority that we focus on the matter at hand?" Mitsu asks, calmly.

"Are you for fucking real?!"

"Ino, please."

"Right now, Mitsu, I think we could all really do with being on the same page," Miniro says. Daisuke nods his agreement, shakily.

Mitsu pinches the bridge of her nose for a moment and then stands up out of her chair.

"Fine," she says. "But I'd rather it waited til morning."

"Oh, I'm going to kill her," Ino growls, struggling to free herself from Blessing's restraining grip on her arms.

"Why should we wait?" Yamato asks. Even he seems angry – he's practically glaring at Mitsu.

"Because it's been a long night," she replies. "And I think we're all exhausted and could do with the rest before we all drop. I'm not being deliberately evasive, as I fully intend to let you know everything I know, but for now I think-"

"I don't care for any excuses, Mitsu," Masashi says, coldly.

"Please, Mitsu..." Blessing says, letting Ino go and turning back to face Mitsu. "Please just get this out of the way. By the sounds of things, we're already in another bad situation, so I'd at least like some kind of explanation before I go back to my room."

"Well, what about you, Kei?" Haru asks, accusingly. "You seem to be in the loop too. Why don't you tell us?"

"Hey, yeah, you were acting weird too," Yamato says, frowning at me. "What gives, man? I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends!" I protest. "I... Mitsu and I..."

"And Hikaru," points out Ino, glaring over at him. "Don't forget him!" Not that he'd see. His head was still in his hands.

"I've been working my way through the Archive," Mitsu says, finally. "There was hundreds of files in there but I've been getting through them pretty much since Monokuma's Syndrome had got to me." She reaches into her bag and produces a manila folder. "I removed the relevant files from the Archive and brought them to my room, and later my Talent Laboratory. This is the most recent one I had found."

"I suppose that would explain why I haven't been able to find anything significant," Masashi mutters. Mitsu nods.

"I thought it would be safer to take it somewhere it was less easily accessible for other people," she says. "In hindsight, I should have just been honest with you all, but I didn't want to cause alarm. It was why I made Kei agree not to tell any of you."

"And Hikaru? How come he found out?" Yamato asks.

Then I remember the pictures. If Mitsu tells them about the pictures that could incriminate us, but if she doesn't they'll only have more reason to not trust us if anything else comes of it... She looks at me, like she's asking for my permission, and I don't know what to do... But finally, I find myself nodding.

"The picture that Hikaru found on the Fifth Floor when it first opened isn't the only one of its kind," Mitsu says. "There are two more so far, featuring some of us."

"And you didn't say anything before because...?"

"Because I thought it would prevent causing a panic," Mitsu sighs.

"How'd that one work out for you, huh?" Ino mutters under her breath.

"What's so important about these pictures anyway?" Yamato asks.

"They show some of us in parts of the Castle, despite the fact none of us have any memory of ever being here before or getting pictures taken," I explain.

"We'll come back to those later," Mitsu says. "But there's something else that I learned from the Archive, and it's... not pleasant."

"Do we pretend to act surprised or something?"

"Ino, please," Haru says, irritated. "It's frustrating enough that we're having to get all this information on a delay with you feeling the need to make a comment every time she stops for breath."

Ino looks a little taken aback to be spoken to by him like that, but it seems to do the trick. She glares at him and crosses her arms, leaning back into her seat.

"Go on, Mitsu."

Mitsu takes a deep breath. I know what she's going to say but somehow that makes it even worse.

"This isn't the first killing game," she says, finally. "I'm not sure how many there have been at this point, but I'd imagine there's been several."

The room erupts into noise and panic as everyone starts to call out with questions and cries of disbelief. Mitsu holds her hands up to motion for silence.

"Look, I don't have all the information," she tells everyone. "What I do have is fairly brief, but it was enough that I can tell you that there's been several killing games... with the first killing game like this taking place in Hope's Peak Academy. The original Hope's Peak Academy."

"But that's impossible!"

"I think we've learned that 'impossible' doesn't really count for much these days," Mitsu says. "The information was sparse, but it was enough that I discovered that the Hope's Peak killing game, or 'School Life of Mutual Killing' as the file calls it, forced a class of students into the exact same situation we've found ourselves in now. Class Trials and all. There wasn't much detail but there were... pictures. Similarly, on the School Trip of Mutual Killing on Jabberwock Island, and at least one other killing game I've found only the briefest of acknowledgements to."

I can't hold back the shiver that runs through my body at that moment. Looking round at the others, they don't seem to be taking this news particuarly well either.

"So this is just history repeating itself," Masashi says, quietly. "This is... troubling."

"Troubling indeed," Miniro agrees, his expression grave.

"Troubling? It's fucking insane!" Ino cries.

"I-I just d-don't understand," Daisuke trembles. "How can this ha-happen?"

"How is any of this possible?" Blessing asks. "Surely word would have got out if something so terrible had taken place at Hope's Peak!"

"Hope's Peak receives government funding – wouldn't be too hard to hush up with that kind of money," Haru points out.

"Wait, you think the government could be in on all this?" Yamato asks, wide-eyed. "I mean, I'm not a fan of politicians but doesn't this seem a little... out there for some assholes in suits to conjure up?"

"I don't necessarily think the government are in on it," Haru says, "but I imagine it would have been easy enough for them to cover up. No, I think it's much more likely the mastermind behind this is a third party, separate from Hope's Peak and the government."

"Like... a secret organisation?" Blessing suggests. "I've done a few films about cults in the past..."

Mitsu paces across the rug to stand in front of the fireplace and gazes into the hearth.

"There was a term I'd found in one of the files in the Archive pertaining to the killing games," she says. "The same file that mentioned there was a traitor in all previous killing games, in fact."

"A term? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure yet, myself," Mitsu admits, shaking her head. "There was next to no actual facts or references to it outside of it mentioning the influence of it in some capacity in the killing game."

"Well, c'mon, Mitsu, spit it out!"

Mitsu turns slightly to face us, and the orange glow of the fire casts long, dark shadows across her face.

"It would appear our captors are – or are influenced by – a force that identifies itself as Ultimate Despair."

"Ultimate Despair?" I echo, fighting a chill down my spine.

Mitsu nods, grimly. "For the moment, besides those words, I don't have much else to go on, but it seems that this Ultimate Despair could very well be our enemy here."

"And the traitor amongst us is an agent of this Ultimate Despair," Masashi reasons. He's stopped drumming his fingers on the table now.

"I'd imagine so, yes," Mitsu says. "Whoever, or whatever, Ultimate Despair is... they are not on our side."

"But what is Ultimate Despair?" Yamato asks.

Mitsu holds up the manila folder she'd taken from her bag a few minutes ago. "This contains the only information I could find that mentions Ultimate Despair. She holds it open, revealing only two sheets of paper, featuring several sections someone has gone over with a highlighter pen.

There's an uncomfortable pause for a short while.

"So, does anyone have any more shocking revelations they'd like to just share with the group and get out there?" Haru asks. "Just while we're all here."

"At this point, I don't think there's anything more to be said," Ino says. "I'm going for a walk."

She gets up from her chair and storms off through the Common Room door.

"Should someone go after her?" Yamato asks.

"No," Miniro says, gently. "A lot of terrible things have come to light today, but I think now is a good time for Ino to be alone with her thoughts. She can mourn in her own way."

"Perhaps that's the best plan of action for the rest of us," Blessing says with a defeated sigh. "I... I am feeling pretty overwhelmed, I have to admit."

"M-me too," Daisuke confesses.

"Then I think the best we can do is adjourn for the night," Masashi says. "Ultimate Despair can wait until we've slept."

A few of the others rise from their seats, but then Haru clears his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Tonight's been a terrible night, and we've discovered a lot of... bad things," he says, looking around at us. "And these latest revelations are obviously incredibly concerning, but we can't afford to let that interfere with us surviving here and trying to find a way out."

"And how are we supposed to do that when one of us is a traitor?" Masashi asks with a humourless laugh.

"What's one person against the combined efforts of the rest of us?" Haru asks, eyebrow raised. "If the Class Trials so far have taught us anything, it's that working together gets us through things."

"By the skin of our teeth," Yamato points out. "It was a lucky accident that Kimi slipped up like that!"

"That's the point," Haru says. "People always make mistakes in the end. Stand together or fall alone – that's what we've learned so far."

"How about: stand together, fall into a false sense of security, then get murdered?"

"Guys, stop it!" I sigh, throwing myself out of my seat now. "Haru is right! What good does it do us just giving up and falling apart now?"

"Who said anything about giving up?" retorts Masashi, angrily. "You know what – you don't get to do the whole 'let's all work together' thing right now, Kei. You, Mitsu, and Hikaru purposefully withheld important information from the rest of us, and now it's blowing up in your faces you're trying to save face."

"Th-that's not it at all!" I insist. "Masashi, it's not like that!"

"Just... fuck off," he says. "I'm sick of all of you."

And he disappears up the stairs to the Dormitories, his long coat swishing behind him as he goes. A stunned silence fills the Common Room in his absence.

"I think it's time for bed," Mitsu says, finally. The others start to disperse, heading up to their rooms with mumbled goodnights and sympathetic glances. A few moments later, I'm alone, still frozen to the spot though, as if I can't bring myself to move. I realise my arm is trembling pretty intensely and I have to grab it with my other hand to try and steady it.

I slump back down onto my seat again, suddenly too weak to stand, and find myself staring into space.

If I'm honest, I'm not sure how long I do this for, but the fire has started to die down and the Common Room has plunged into an almost soothing gloom by the time I hear a disturbance from nearby. I just about find the strength to look up, and from here I can see through the open Common Room door to see a silhouetted figure approaching, sobbing gently. As they pass the large windows that line the southern side of the corridor, shafts of moonlight cast a pearly glow over them, revealing a shock of pink hair.

In all the confusion, I'd forgot that Ino hadn't gone to her room, but here she is now, barely containing her sobs as she makes her way back into the Common Room. She looks over to the seating area and sees me sitting.

"What are you doing here?" she moans through tears, trying to wipe at her eyes with a sleeve.

"I didn't think I could make it upstairs," I admit to her. She makes a noise something between a laugh and a sob.

"You had the strength to get through the Trial, but getting up some stairs is too much for you?"

I find myself smiling faintly. "I guess... it just took everything out of me."

"I don't forgive you, you know," she says. "And don't think that just cos you saw me crying suddenly makes me weak. I'll outlast everyone here if I have to."

I sigh, and bow my head. Part of me feels like forgiveness is the last thing I deserve. "I understand."

Ino walks away from me, over to the stairs that lead up to the Dormitories. She stands on the bottom step, her hands stretched out on either side of the archway. Without turning back to face me, she says, "Thank you, though. For Yuki's sake, if anything."

I'm a little taken aback. Uncertainly, I go to reply. "I-"

"Goodnight, Kei."

"G-goodnight, Ino."

And with that, I'm alone in the dark again...

* * *

After my brief conversation with Ino, I find myself rising from my chair and staggering my way up the stairs to the Dormitories, doing my best to filter out the aches and pains of my body.

Barely kicking my shoes off in time, I collapse into my bed, fully clothed. And I try to let the exhaustion win me over. To fall into a deep, deep sleep...

But there's a lot on my mind, and it's almost like it bubbles up more and more the closer I get to finally reaching that point of perfect escape.

My friends... what's happened today could really break us all apart. The thought that one of us could be a traitor... The knowledge that one of us is a traitor... It's hard to even comprehend. On top of that, Ultimate Despair...

Who could they be? What are their intentions? How does the killing game fit into that? How do we fit into that?

And something else troubling me too... The things Kimi had said towards the end of the Trial... Had she just been trying to psych me out or... had there really been something in me that she'd been able to see?

"How far will you go, Kei?" her voice echoes in my thoughts. "How far will you go?"

As the first light of dawn begins to glow through my window, I close my eyes, and wait for a more comforting kind of darkness.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 03 - END**

 **10 STUDENTS REMAINING**


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